Kingdom of Zelda
by Fatti-chan
Summary: In an alternate Hyrule two chosen ones cross paths. One has already vanquished several evils and now leads the Master Knights, the most respected Knights of the land. The other has just set out in his quest to join the Knights. But evil prevails, evil split in two and it is up to the chosen heroes to work together and rid the world of its sinister darkness.
1. Chapter 1: A new knight

A/N: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction. Please read with tender eyes and review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

*I'm just going around and correcting the errors in my previous chapters…for those of you who have sensitive eyes and could not read a chapter due to the fear of eye cancer, please check again.

And my A/N's are so dry…gotta fix those as well

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda or Kingdom Hearts (although I'd very much love to)

* * *

Chapter 1: A new knight

Vanitas opened his eyes and stared blearily at the decorated celling. He clenched his jaw in anger as he heard raucous laughter and the sound of a mattress creaking. Getting up and pushing his blankets off violently, he walked out of his room and to the next and slammed the door open.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he bellowed, narrowing his eyes menacingly.

The three occupants in the room simply stared at him. Two ignored him in favour of jumping on the mattress while the third just gave him a sympathetic smile.

Growling, he stomped over and tried to shove the twins off the bed but was stopped when his smiling sibling stood in front of him and barred his way.

"Move outta the way Sora" he hissed.

"Now really, that is not a way to talk to your older brother" Sora said, turning to the other two he added: "come on Roxas, Ven gotta have breakfast"

Said twins cheered and jumped on him. Ventus, being lucky managed to cling on to his back whilst poor Roxas tried in vain to hold on to his waist but alas slid down.

Life was unfair.

Vanitas turned around while sunshine and rainbows radiated from the happy group behind him. Deciding to put as much distance as possible from them, he went ahead to the kitchen while Sora wobbled trying to balance two twelve year olds on his person.

"Ice-cream" stated Roxas.

"Not a healthy option for breakfast" Sora reprimanded.

"For the love of anything holy…will you take _that thing_ off? I'm about to go blind here" Vanitas seethed and turned, refusing to look at his elder brother who was wearing a red frilly apron "I should burn your apron collection!"

"How rude, Mom sends these aprons as birthday presents" came the pouted reply.

"I'm starving…please make something to eat Sora, and let's go. I wanna see Aqua" bounced Ven; he was the only one who managed to be energetic so early in the morning. Both Roxas and Vanitas sent the youngster a disgruntled stare.

* * *

Link smiled at everyone who came to bid him farewell. Mounted atop Epona he looked past the crowd and at the small village that was his home. This was the first time he was leaving Ordona province. Rusl had recommended him to apply for the vacant 10th rank in the master knights and he had agreed. After all, being part of the prestigious Master Knights' meant that he could protect his village better.

"Remember to grovel whenever you meet a noble" spoke a voice from the crowd

Everyone turned around and stared at the midget wearing what appeared to be a sack (since one couldn't see his feet). Unlike the other children, his face expressed utter boredom. The fact that he imparted his advice with a hint of haughtiness amused Link greatly.

"I'll do that Malo, thanks for reminding me"

The midget hmphed and looked away.

Gathering the reins, Link turned Epona around and waved, before he could leave, Colin ran forward and grabbed the reins.

"You will visit us right?" he asked, a sorrowful expression on his face "you won't forget will you Link?"

Link reached down and ruffled the boy's hair, "Of course Colin." He soothed "It'll be like I never left in the first place."

Hyrule field was huge. Spurring Epona to go faster he felt slightly guilty as he imagined an angry Ilia scolding him. But for now those thoughts were tossed to the winds as he galloped across Hyrule at a speed that would've earned him a fine. Adrenaline rushing in his veins, Link let go of the reins and threw his hands up in the air. Adventure was something that always made him happy and the prospect of being a knight seemed much more appealing than his job as a goat herder. As he came upon the bridge to Castle Town he rode much slower and soaked in the magnificent sight of a castle. Dismounting Epona he stood at the bridge and stared in wonder at Hyrule castle, its blue tiled turrets towering higher than anything Link had ever seen.

Link's attention was drawn to the far side of the bridge when he noticed a dark hole literally tearing into space. From the tear in space he witnessed four individuals walk out. The people had one thing in common: spiky hair. Two sported blonde locks and the exact same hairstyle, there was a fierce looking black haired male and a brown haired male who began lecturing them as soon as they stepped out. Link, thinking that he might need someone to show him the way tied Epona to the post of a wooden bridge leading to the entrance of Castle town and began to walk towards them.

* * *

"Now remember guys, we are nobles so you have to act like one, so no unnecessary smiling and talking, walk with your head held high and politely ign-" began Sora

Vanitas snarled cutting his little speech off: "For goodness sake, do you have to lecture us every time we set foot outside? Those two already act like nobles in public so stop yammering and let's get going."

Throwing a glance at Roxas and Ventus who now sported vaguely polite smiles, Sora spun around to see a figure clad in green walking towards him. In complete disregard of his earlier discourse, he threw the stranger a sunny smile and waved enthusiastically.

The Hylian approached the group with a similar smile of his own, suddenly he paled and dropped down to one knee and bowed deeply. Seeing this, Sora looked at his siblings with a look that screamed 'what did I do wrong' however, the twins failed to meet their brother's eyes, instead they gaped at Link's hat and wondered why this man wore a windsock.

It was none of their business actually.

Vanitas being the most intellectually gifted of the group spoke up: "Well at least this commoner knows his place, he recognised us as members of the House of Kingdom"

And in a perfect imitation of a haughty noble he stared Link's humble figure down.

Sora's smile slid off his face as he observed the stranger in green. Giving an inaudible sigh he motioned the others to go ahead and after telling Link to stand up, he made his way to the castle.

* * *

From the moment he spied the golden crown insignia Link knew he was screwed. He heard whispers that the House of Kingdom was an elite noble family and under the direct service of the Princess. They also held the power to influence the princess's decisions on how to run the kingdom. Thank goodness he remembered Malo's advice and groveled before the elite nobles. They took pity on him and didn't turn him to ash. At least according to Malo, that is what happened to people who didn't bow down before them.

His ruminations were interrupted when he saw Rusl standing in front of the castle gates, he broke into a grin and was about to greet his mentor when the noble Sora beat him to the punch.

"So this is the person you recommended, Guard Captain?"

"Yes" replied Rusl "he cleared the local forest temple which was infested with monsters and he did it himself, with the minimal training I provided him. Link is a natural born fighter and has a kind heart; you will find that he makes an excellent knight."

Link briefly peered at Sora to see if was impressed. He wasn't.

"I see, I suppose you could take him to the training hall? His assessment will take place there. I have some matters to take care with the princess. I will join you shortly." Sora then departed.

Rusl looked at Link and clapped him on his back as they started walking "Don't worry about the assessment boy; you will make it, be sure of that."

* * *

The Training hall was a spacious circular room adorned with tapestries depicting battle scenes and with raised seating areas on either side. Link noticed the nobles seated on the highest tier with everyone else beneath them. Swallowing nervously walked forward and was acutely aware of everyone staring at him. He turned around and faced Rusl, who gripped his shoulders comfortingly.

"Remember your basics Link, stay strong and focused and this will be easy." His teacher assured.

Link didn't trust himself to speak as he watched the Guard captain leave.

Facing the audience he now realised that there were quite a lot of people, deciding to take a seat, he started walking and then stopped immediately when he observed Sora magically appear from a black hole. Quickly averting his gaze to the ground he heard Sora speaking.

"Good, I see Link is in the ring already, his examiner will be…" he looked around "…the twin dragons"

The crowd gasped in awe.

Link wondered who the twin dragons were, his question was answered immediately when the two identical children, seated on the top most tier gracefully vaulted down to the ring. Link blinked, surely children cannot… they were so young, wearing bland looks and looking too much like a set of dolls. With a jolt, he also understood they were part of the House of Kingdom. Cautiously, he drew his sword and waited for the twins to do the same.

They did something different.

Instead of drawing a sword Ventus held his hand up in mid-air and amidst a shower of light, a short key-blade materialized in his grip. His warrior senses kicking in, Link noticed that Ventus held the key-blade in a reverse grip. Roxas on the other hand did a drawing motion with both hands and to his amazement saw that the boy wielded not one but two key-blades.

One pitch black and choking with darkness, the other pure white exuding a blinding light.

With his attention on Roxas, Link noted belatedly that Ventus had flung his key-blade at him. Bringing his sword up to parry, he received a nasty surprise when his sword flew cleanly out of his grasp and landed somewhere out of reach. With one eye on Roxas who lunged at him, he dodge rolled around the ring and snatched his sword up. Link then attempted to strike Roxas when he saw a fireball speeding towards him, shielding himself he commenced on thinking up a new strategy because clearly this one was not working.

No wonder they were titled the 'twin dragons' these boys were formidable.

When the fireball died down Link ran to the opposite end of the ring and sheathed his sword and shield.

Roxas gave him a weird look. Glancing at Ventus whose eyes were narrowed on the stranger he decided that the poor guy had probably given up. After all they weren't dubbed the twin dragons for nothing. Teamed up they could even beat Vanitas.

At least that is what Roxas liked to think.

Standing perfectly still and senses on high alert, Link watched the duo with calculating eyes. He perceived Roxas lunge with an impossible speed and grinned to himself. His head was buzzing with excitement but within the moment Roxas brought his key-blades down it cleared and he drew his sword in a Mortal draw. Noticing a change Roxas jumped back, but it was too late.

The noble's key-blades were neatly cut into two.

Staring at his now key-blade stubs, Roxas willed himself not to go gape or throw a tantrum. Instead he calmly dismissed his key-blade stubs and proceeded to draw them again.

However he was halted by Sora's announcement:

"Roxas and Ventus, you may return to your seat. Link has displayed respectable skills and passed his assesment. He is now ranked as the 10th Master Knight"

Bowing down to the audience, Link then raised his sword and shield amongst many whoops and cheers. He felt as if this is his greatest achievement yet.


	2. Chapter 2: A face of evil

A/N: Here is the upgraded version of Chapter 2. Please read and review.

On another note, Tis the holiday season everybody, (well everyone except me, cause ya know…exams and all) so stay safe and healthy and eat lots of chocolate.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom hearts.

* * *

Chapter 2: A face of evil

Princess Zelda was absolutely beautiful. Dressed in the royal colors of mauve, white and gold she was the epitome of grace and elegance. Seeing her stand with her hands folded in front of her Link could not help but feel privileged to be in her presence.

"Congratulations on joining the ranks of the Master Knights Link" the princess spoke, "it is a great honor and a great responsibility to be one of the Knights, I hope you will uphold their name and take your duties seriously."

Her voice, Link decided, radiating quiet authority, was also beautiful.

"I will princess" he humbly replied.

She handed him a silver medal, the medal was worn and looked well cared for. On closer inspection Link noticed that the words 10th Rank were engraved on it. After scrutinizing the award for some minutes he looked up to see Sora patiently waiting for him.

Stowing the accolade in his pouch, he bowed once more to the princess and followed Sora out of the room. They kept on walking through several corridors and halted before two huge, intricately designed doors. Whispering a few words Sora put his hand on the door and it silently swung open.

"Welcome to the Knights' chamber Link" Sora added before entering the room.

* * *

The Knights table was a long rectangular table surrounded by 10 throne-like chairs each one with the added bonus of having a different motif. The table-top consisted of translucent blue glass and looked way too expensive to be holding dirty coffee mugs. Sora sat alone at the head of the table on a glorious chair made of some gold tinted material while the rest of the Knights, some in unflattering postures, were seated on either side in two rows. Link noticed a vacant seat next to a black haired youth and he quickly sat down next to him.

"We have a new member," the leader announced "please make his acquaintance."

The room remained silent as a graveyard

Standing up Sora officially introduced himself to Link: "My name is Sora, I am the first son of the House of Kingdom" here Sora was interrupted by a female voice.

"You don't have to introduce yourself, bet the newbie already knows your entire family history" she drawled

Sora pointedly ignored her and continued with what he was saying "and the leader of the Master Knights. I look forward to working with you." He then gave Link a polite smile.

Privately Link totally agreed with the spunky female. The people in Ordon village loved to gossip about the nobles of Hyrule and like she said, the House of Kingdom was a hot topic, why, Link even knows the names of the key-blades they wield.

Courtesy of Malo of course; he also had to put up with Beth's gushing of how cute the twins looked.

The next knight to introduce herself gave off the impression of a seasoned veteran.

"I am Impa from the house of Sheikh, 2nd rank in the Master Knights, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Vanitas, 3rd rank" declared Vanitas haughtily.

Another female stood up, she smiled kindly at Link and presented herself: "I am Aqua, ranked 4th in the Master Knights, I hope we become good friends Link."

"My name is Sheikha, also from the house of Sheik, my rank is 5th"

It was hard to tell if this individual was a male or female and this Sheikha was covered from head to toe.

"I'm Ashei, rank 6, looking forward to sparring with you, yeah"

Oh so that was the spunky female.

The twins stood up and Sora spoke up for them: "Roxas and Ventus, ranked 7th, and since the two of them occupy the same position they are dubbed as the twin dragons."

An old man acquainted himself next: "I am Auru, 8th rank in the Knights, it's nice to see a young face joining us, hmm, that reminds me, I should probably retire." He chuckled good naturedly.

The spiky haired youth next to Link shot up: "My name is Zack, ranked 9th" after giving Link a hearty clap on the back he sat back down.

Okay, that was anti-climatic.

Link stood up, inhaling deeply he began: "My name is Link, I hail from Ordon village and it is my utmost pride to be able to be seated here today." Finishing his one sentence speech he bowed and reseated himself.

* * *

Sora stared at his Knights and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, he preferred following to leading but here he was; the kingpin of a potentially dangerous group of people. Shoving these thoughts at the back of his mind he informed the rest of the Knights that they had to clear a temple. According to the locals the place was over-run with monsters, making life difficult and terrifying for them.

"The Temple of Time is situated in the Ordona province, Vanitas, you will be leading this time as Impa and I will be going away on official business. Your conditions are that you may not take the twin dragons and you must take Link with you." Sora briefed.

Vanitas scowled but kept quiet.

Shifting out of his gold gilded throne, Sora created a dark corridor, indicating Impa to follow him. The two of them were swallowed up by darkness.

Shifting his poisonous gaze to the Knights, Vanitas breathed and rattled off the names of the 5 members who would accompany him. Then without further ado the created his own corridor and disappeared through it.

"Should we follow him or what?" asked a puzzled Zack, pointing to the ominous darkness that was still present in the room.

Aqua climbing out of her chair replied in affirmative and followed the group leader through the hole. Shrugging his shoulders Zack and the rest of the members boldly traversed the corridor.

It took guts actually. The hole was creepy.

* * *

Sighing contentedly Sora folded his hands behind his head and strolled non-chalantly to the entrance of Hollow Bastion. Impa followed wordlessly; sometimes she thought that her young superior wanted nothing more than lazy adventures and friends he could laugh with instead of an organization to lead, but this was none of her business. Sora trusted her well enough to act like himself in front of her; she will not betray his trust.

"This place is still creepy as ever, stand guard at the doors Impa, if anything happens you can rush in and lob off a few heads" Sora informed her merrily.

Right

Pushing open the door Sora went in alone and closed his eyes. Princess Zelda had described an ominous darkness however there was only a subtle hint of it. Like whatever dark creature was here had lost its powers, just as he opened his eyes he saw Maleficent towering over him as she reached out and gripped his chin.

Outside, Impa felt a prick on her consciousness, remembering Sora's words she abandoned her post at the door and rushed in, extracting her gigantic blade as she spied Maleficent looming over her leader. Sensing that her life would be cut brutally short if she did not move, the dark fairy glided out of reach just as Impa's sword struck the spot she was standing not a moment ago. Throwing the warrior a detested look, Maleficent fixed her gaze on Sora again.

"You are outnumbered and you have no power left, speak, where did the evil in Hollow Bastion go?" Sora demanded.

Maleficent did not reply but simply said: "It is true that my power waned, but I can still curse someone horribly."

Gazing at the once proud fay, Sora decided that she was no threat, calling Impa he started walking out of the area. Behind Maleficent a disembodied voice whispered:

"Now watch him fall"

* * *

Standing with a group of Knights, Vanitas glared at the Temple gate, summoning Void gear, he created a ball of dark energy and violently smashed the entrance open. His job done, he turned to the group.

"You" he indicated to Link with his key-blade "will lead from now onwards, I heard you cleared a Temple on your own; show us how you did it." Smirking he stood aside and mock bowed.

Link bowed back and unsheathed his sword and said: "I'll try my best sir" and without a second glance he ran into the Temple while the rest followed a bit more slowly.

As Aqua passed Vanitas she added: "That was extremely rude of you Vanitas"

He snorted indifferently.

Looking around the large circular room Link sensed something amiss, letting his keen eyes wander; his sight alighted on an empty stone pedestal on one side of a door, on the other side on an identical stone pedestal stood an ancient stone statue. Pointing to the empty spot, he informed the knights that a statue was missing.

"Well thank you for pointing that out genius, none of us noticed." The appointed leader snarked.

"What do we have to do Link?" Aqua asked gently.

Link told her that they needed to find the statue and place it on the empty space; it'll open the door that is currently barred. He also mused that the boss monster might be lurking in the room since he sensed darkness seeping out of it.

Unnoticed by anyone, Vanitas cringed.

After several rooms, traps and evil bats, Link lead them to a two story circular chamber. Gloomy and foreboding, the second level was lined with many alcoves and situated on a wide ledge of a window, was the statue they were looking for.

Whooping, Zack tried to sprint to the statue but was stopped when Link shot an arm out, brow furrowed in concentration, he stared straight ahead.

Failing to see anything wrong Zack spoke: "The statue is right there Link, on the window ledge, what are we waiting for?"

Link gave him an irritated look and replied: "The mid boss should be here, just wait for a moment"

Cue the Darknut appearing from nowhere. Clad in medieval armor he posed an awe-inspiring sight.

From the back, Vanitas' eyes gleamed with savage glee. Solidifying his key-blade he strode up to the Darknut and commanded the rest of the Knights not to interfere with his battle, failure to do so will result in death.

Wisely everyone fell back.

* * *

King Mickey was troubled. Yen Sid had given him an omen that darkness was rising and threatening to overtake the worlds again. Reading the letter once more he failed to notice a familiar face tolerantly waiting for him. Finally sighing and looking up, his eyes widened in surprise as he happily launched himself at Sora and hugged him tightly.

"Gosh Sora, you could at least inform me of your visit, everyone would've been pleased to meet you."

"Sorry King Mickey" Sora apologized, scratching the back of his head "I'm a little pressed for time, besides I'm not supposed to be here"

"What! You are not staying? Even for a while?"

Sora replied in negative, giving Mickey a rueful smile he turned to leave when an image of Yen Sid appeared on the mirror behind the King's throne. Greeting the old key-blade master respectfully, Sora blinked in confusion when, instead of responding back, Yen Sid gaped at him and uttered:

"You are cursed"

* * *

Grinning to himself, Vanitas kicked the remains of the Darknut's armor. Looking around he spied a large chest, dismissing his key-blade he opened the chest and pulled out a rod.

The rest of the members huddled at the entrance and watched Vanitas warily. His quick, destructive and absolutely lethal strikes left them in terror. Some of them even pitied the Darknut as they watched him meet a swift and painful end. Startled out of their contemplations by Vanitas' yelling, the group moved towards him.

"This rod is useless" Vanitas informed the Knights "it is heavy and difficult to swing and it seems to have no magical properties. You can use it as a mace" He flung the object at Link and slinked off.

Link caught the staff awkwardly and studied it, true, it was heavy and looked pretty useless, just as he was about to stow it away, the rod manifested a lime green orb of light. Startled by this development Link nearly dropped the item on the floor but somehow managed to hold on to it. Giving it an experimental swing he observed the green light fly out and embed itself into the statue, which now seemed alive and was sporting neon green stripes.

"Okay newbie, what did you do?" Ashei questioned

Auru replied for him: "Hmm, he animated the statue it looks like, Link, try moving the staff around and see if the statue responds."

Grasping the rod in two hands, Link performed a downward slash and the statue jumped in response, gaining confidence, he then walked towards the entrance and was rewarded when the statue hopped off the platform and followed him like a loyal puppy.

"Right let's get this dude back to his place" Zack yelled.

After setting the statue on its home turf, Link watched the final door open to reveal a corridor full of traps. Traversing it with relative ease, he stood still and eyed the humongous and ugly padlock securing the entrance. Missing Vanitas' presence he hoped this lock was as weak as the Forest temple's one and brought his sword down in a decisive strike. A harsh resounding clang told him his attempt did not succeed and that his sword had snapped cleanly in half.

He felt devastated.

"What did you do that for?" his leader exploded into his face.

Link angrily shot back: "You told me to lead and I certainly didn't see you offer to open up the door. I was doing my job unlike someone I know."

Respect for nobles be damned.

For some reason, Link's angry outburst calmed Vanitas down, unlocking the door with his key-blade, he wordlessly vanished again.

Trooping into yet another round area everyone hung back at the entrance whilst Link went in, sensing that the others were not with him, he gave them a puzzled look.

Zack stated that they were waiting for the boss to appear.

Link notified them that the bosses are already in their respective rooms and do not appear. Telling them to spread out and search for it he walked around the room noticing the statues arranged in periodic niches. Animating one, he attempted to remove it from its place but the statue did not budge.

"Um guys, I think that is the monster up there" Aqua pointed to the ceiling where a steel-clad spider awaited.

Wasting no time, Aqua performed a Deep Freeze and encased the monster in a thick layer of ice, she watched as it fell to the ground, right in the middle of two stone statues.

"Could someone move that mass in front of a statue?" Link requested "Armogohma's armor prevents it from being hurt with normal attacks; we need to smash it with this." He indicated his animated stone puppy.

"Well I guess it is my turn now" said Auru.

Pulling out a Steampunk-esque cannon, he pelted the frozen mass with spiked cannon balls. Fortunately the mass shifted in front of a statue; unfortunately the ice shattered and Armogohma flexed hairy legs. Before it could move, a stone fist came down and flattened the beast.

Everyone waited with bated breath.

Rising up again, the spider scurried back on to the roof with astounding agility. Thereafter it birthed a multitude of baby spiders in a disgusting fashion.

Ashei and Aqua leapt up and dealt with the baby Gohmas by freezing and shattering them. Auru aimed his cannon on the roof and shot a spiked cannon ball at Armogohma's obvious weak spot. Stunned the spider fell down again, this time conveniently in front of a statue where Link promptly whacked it twice.

Zack stood by and watched.

Disentegrating into nothing but a slimy eyeball with arachnid legs, Armogohma aimed to escape. Suddenly feeling very useful, Zack hefted his long sword and speared it, finally killing the monster for good.

"Temple of Time, CLEARED" He cheered, and then added "let's go home, I'm beat"

* * *

AN: Honestly I found Armogohma so easy it was boring; the Darknut posed more of a challenge. Unlike Vanitas, I think the Dominion rod is quite cool.


	3. Chapter 3: He is cursed

AN: Very big thank you to animebella09 for favorite-ing this story, gave a huge boost to my confidence.

Disclaimer: If I owned LOZ and KH I would be a millionaire, and millionaires don't have time to write fanfictions.

* * *

Chapter 3: He is cursed 

"So I'm supposed to be cursed huh?"

Ambling back to Hyrule through a dark corridor, Sora thought about what Yen Sid said.

"The one who finds me worthy will fall in love with me…" he muttered.

And then he promptly burst out laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

Impa spoke, her voice cutting Sora's hysterics short: "You seem awfully calm about this."

"But Impa just think about it, who is going to fall in love with a stuck up noble like me? The curse is completely ridiculous."

"I take it you are oblivious to how majority of the noble females around your age look at you?"

Sora pouted "They admire me as the leader of the Master Knights, nothing more" he concluded.

Sighing, Impa gave up. This man, she decided, was a total idiot.

* * *

Zack was utterly late. He had spent the previous evening at a friend's house and stayed up well into the night detailing him about his adventures in the Temple of time. This proved to be a fatal decision as he woke up to find that he had overslept. Running his fingers through uncombed hair, he whispered an incantation and swung open the doors to the Master Knights chamber. Upon entering the room he was immediately shot by Sora.

"You are late Zack; you know very well that I do not tolerate tardiness"

Zack resisting an urge to salute instead bowed to him. "Yes sir, I am terribly sorry. It won't happen again"

He then took his seat and watched Link despondently stare at his broken sword.

At the head of the table Sora started speaking: "So to summarize, you, Vanitas made Link the temporary leader and told him to lead the dungeon crawl and since you were not around to unlock the boss chamber, Link took it up as his responsibility and struck the obviously unbreakable lock with his sword. His sword then broke in half, am I correct?"

Putting it that way, it sounded ludicrous.

"Yes" Vanitas said quietly.

"You are so…stupid" finished Sora.

Link flinched in his seat.

Resting his cheek on his fist, Sora continued: "Vanitas, 3rd rank in the Master Knights has now been given the task of finding Link a new weapon, preferably a sword. I will not allow mediocre weapons, only those of the highest quality are used by the Knights. To make your job easier, I recommend that you speak to Guard Captain Rusl, he knows Link's sword preferences and may guide you to a suitable one."

Having decreed his next mission, Sora began to rise from his chair, but paused when Link, at the end of the table scrambled up before him.

"If I may…" Sora motioned him continue, "I spoke to Rusl already about my broken sword. He advised me to go to the Sacred Grove where a magical weapon called the Master sword rests. He also told me that if I can draw it out of its resting place I could use it."

"Princess Zelda has prophesized that the Master sword can only be wielded by the chosen one, I apologize Link, it might not be appropriate for you"

Link asked: "The chosen one?"

"Yes" Sora replied "The Chosen one rises at a period of great evil and is responsible for vanquishing said evil. Legend says that he can be identified by a triangular birthmark on his hand."

"I have such a birthmark on the back of my hand sir"

Sora's eyes lit up as he stared at Link and requested him to show some proof. Walking up to Sora, Link removed his finger-less gloves and showed him the triforce. Sora grabbed his hand in a distinctly un-noble like manner and scrutinized the mark.

"Courage" he whispered to himself.

Dropping Link's hand unceremoniously he turned to his Knights and declared a new mission: Clear the Sacred Grove and get Link the Master sword. The conditions this time are Vanitas still leads, Impa goes along to supervise him and no members are barred from participating

The Knights were then dismissed.

* * *

In the throne room, Zelda watched Sora approaching her, she wondered if anything was wrong, or if he had neglected to mention something in his earlier briefing. As he came closer and respectfully bowed, she queried:

"Is everything alright Sora? This is the second time you visited me today"

"Princess may I see the birthmark on the back of your hand?"

Somewhat puzzled, she smoothly removed her pristine white glove and gracefully offered her hand.

Taking her hand like a proper gentleman, Sora then poured over the triforce symbol on the back, he noticed that there was a slight difference between Zelda's and Link's marks. Gently tapping the triangular figure with a forefinger he looked up and questioned:

"This mark represents Wisdom does it not princess?"

"Yes, it does." Zelda replied "why do you ask?"

Sora, kindly let her hand go and answered: "Well, it's just that, this morning, during the Knights meeting, I happened to find out that Link is courage."

Princess Zelda the embodiment of calm, did not look surprised by the news. Gazing thoughtfully at her birthmark she said:

"All we now need is power and the legend repeats"

Sora having nothing to say, kept silent.

"I suppose I should come up with a solution for this crisis" giving Sora a courteous smile she continued to speak "If I come up with a resolution I shall inform you right away, but for now, you may leave."

The Master Knight bowed once again and left. Zelda looked at Sora's retreating form with glazed eyes.

* * *

Trees, thought Vanitas, I hate trees.

Glancing back at Roxas and Ventus, he psyched himself to be extra vigilant. If something happened to those two, Sora would kill him. Literally. As much as he hated to admit it, an angry Sora was first on Vanitas' list of things to avoid.

The path to the Sacred Grove was breathtaking. Sunlight shone on thick foliage turning everything into green and gold. With one eye on his younger brother, Roxas admired his surroundings and forced himself to remain stone-faced, peeking at Ventus to make sure he wasn't grinning unnecessarily Roxas decided that it sucked to be noble and briefly wondered how his older siblings managed to pull it off so easily. Grabbing Ventus' hand when they finally reached the Grove he noted Link lagging at the back of the group and looking very uncomfortable.

Link's head throbbed an unpleasant beat. There were no monsters around but somehow he sensed them; and the closer he got to the place, the stronger it felt. No-one else seemed bothered but to Link it screeched danger. Standing right at the back of the group he looked at the entrance and his body tingled painfully. Crossing the threshold, he crumpled to the floor and screamed in agony as he felt his bones melt down and re-knit. His cries morphed into animalistic howls. The suffering continued as his mind gave out, fading in and out of consciousness, eyes blurring and focusing simultaneously. Then suddenly it all stopped and he collapsed tiredly on the floor.

Giving him a wide berth, the Knights observed Link's transformation with mute horror. Fearing for their sanity, Vanitas stood directly in front of the twins minimizing what they saw. Link, it appeared had just mutated into a beast, but there was no dark energy emanating from him.

"He…turned into a…wolf" Ventus pointed out.

Looking up at the Knights from his position on the ground, Link wondered why they all gaped at him as if he grew a second head. The pain had completely vanished and he felt a lot better, his mind clearer, senses sharper.

"What" he barked.

Everyone collectively took a step back.

"He is confused" Sheikha said "I don't think he realized he had transformed into an animal"

Link listened to Sheikha and frowned, if he indeed was an animal how did he understand them? Aiming to stand up he glanced at his arms and fainted on the spot.

* * *

"What should we do with him?"

"Take him with of course, it would be bad just to abandon him here, poor guy, uh beast."

"We don't know if he is capable of rational thought, leave him here, we collect the Master sword and give it to him"

"But sir Vanitas your brother…"

"Keep him out of this, Auru; I'm the one in charge"

"Be quiet everyone" snapped Impa "He is gaining consciousness"

He heard voices, trying to shut them out he fixated on his dream. Link dreamt that he had turned into a sacred beast, a powerful wolf armed with special senses and adept at destroying evil. It was a nice dream actually, giving Link a feeling that he was destined for great things.

Coming to, he realized that it was no dream. The Knights were still gawking at him and the twins looked like they might just follow his example and faint. Pushing himself up on all fours he looked at them intently trying to convey that he understood human speech and was (unlike what Vanitas thought) quite sane.

Thus the staring match begins. Man versus Beast, who will win?

"I think it's trying to tell us something" Roxas translated wolf Link's stare.

Taking a deep breath, brave Vanitas strode to Link, then kneeling down on one knee he questioned the wolf.

"Do (two second pause) you (two second pause) understand (two second pause) me?"

If he didn't know any better, Vanitas would have thought the wolf gave him a pitying gaze, like it was saying:

'Poor human, it can't even speak'

Finally the beast nodded and growled softly.

Roxas translated: "Knight Link says that he understands us"

Feeling slightly peeved at the situation, Vanitas got up and walked deeper into the Grove, the rest of the Knights following him. As they all entered the next area, a barrier immediately enclosed them and four hideously ugly beasts spawned from thin air. Giving a vampiric smile, Vanitas called on Void gear and slashed one into half, it buckled motionlessly.

Senses into hyper drive, Link bolted to the closest beast and bit down on its throat. The monster managed to throw Link off just as it bit the dust. Information streamed in Link's head telling him things he never knew, directing him, showing him what to do.

'Shadow beasts, evil, kill them all at once, or they don't die'

True to its word, as Impa was about to impale the last shadow beast, it gave a paralyzing screech and the fallen beasts rose up again like they were never killed in the first place.

"What happened?" the twins asked in unison.

"We need to kill them all at once" Sheikha informed them "Shadow beasts, I think they are called"

Raising his key-blade, Wayward wind, Ventus shouted "Faith!"

Four blinding white columns of light shot out from the sky and spammed the four shadow beasts repeatedly, when the lights stopped, the beasts broke down into tiny squares of darkness and the barrier enclosing them faded away.

Link shivered; thank goodness they never thought to use that on him during his examination. His initial pity for the twins was now turning into admiration. Well, it was expected of them, they are members of the House of Kingdom.

* * *

Skull kid was bored. He had no one to play with. So it stands to reason that when he saw several visitors and their pet dog enter the Sacred Grove, he was extremely delighted. Playing his trumpet merrily, he bounded out to meet them.

* * *

"Can I kill that thing?" Vanitas huffed, glaring at Skull kid.

As it turned out, the little monster's definition of play turned out to be a grotesque game of hide and seek. A note from his trumpet set a multitude of wooden, chattering puppets after them. The weird dolls descended on the Knights like locusts and tore at their clothes, hair and skin. Fortunately they were not very powerful but extremely tedious to eliminate. And all this had to be done whilst running after the puppet master whose trumpet fanfare was driving the hot-headed members of the group crazy.

Like Vanitas and possibly Roxas as well.

Swinging her sword, Impa managed to decapitate an entire group of puppets. Skull kid had lead them into a clearing full of rocky platforms and was now dancing from one platform to the other, blowing on his trumpet and generally causing chaos. The space was full of incessant chattering and the sounds of battle. Link ran around and snapped the dolls in half with his newfound jaws and Auru, with his cannon tried to hit Skull kid on a distant platform, but kept on missing due to its agile movements.

A dark haze swept the area courtesy of Vanitas and once it cleared, almost all of the puppets were gone. Seizing this chance both Impa and Sheikha leapt together on the rocky platform Skull kid was standing on and tackled him to the ground. Sheikha held him fast and Impa pointed her sword at his twig of a neck.

"Tell me where the Master sword rests or I will break you" Impa threatened.

Skull kid gave a creepy little laugh and pointed into a random direction, where a corridor opened up.

Impa looked back at Skull kid to thank him but he had vanished. Sheathing her sword, she jumped down and guided the members to the Master sword glade.

* * *

Link found his body relaxing, the tension of the battle had died down but his senses still remained acute. When he spied the Master sword on its pedestal he immediately felt a connection. Energy surged through him and it felt like the sword itself was beckoning him to draw it out. But there was this tiny problem of Link having no hands at the moment, so he hung back at the edge of the crowd.

Eyeing the glorious Master sword with distaste, Vanitas wiped his palms down on his clothes and tried to pull it out. Just as he touched the weapon, its hilt seared his skin. Hiding his weakness tactfully he declared:

"The sword won't budge, tell the wolf to stand before the sword, hopefully something will happen"

The wolf didn't need any telling, he padded up to the pedestal and gazed expectantly at the blade and against all odds, something did happen. Link painfully morphed back into a human. With two hands, he grasped the hilt and effortlessly drew the sacred blade from its resting place.

To Link the Master sword felt perfect. Giving it a few investigational twirls and slashes he sheathed his new weapon and turned to the Knights.

"I'm back to normal guys" he smiled, his blue eyes sparkling.


	4. Chapter 4: I bewitched a princess

AN: Another thanks to Librarian343 for alerting this story. Makes me happy when people take their time to read this.

Please read and review.

Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ or KH, since I'm not rich, at all.

* * *

Chapter 4: I bewitched a princess 

"Link turned into a wolf…you expect me to believe that?"

Inwardly, Sora thought that it was the coolest thing to happen after he started leading the Master Knights. Of course he'd never say it out aloud. It would raise the morale of the Knights if they had a puppy mascot.

"Yes, big brother" Vanitas grit out "I just told you that ten times already."

Sora glanced at Impa "Is he telling the truth?"

"Yes, it would be better if you spoke to him privately. The transition appeared extremely painful" Impa said.

Looking around the empty table, Sora frowned and realized that there was only his brothers and Impa in the room. Deciding to drop his tedious façade he slumped on the table.

"Vanitas buy me some ice-cream" he moaned out.

"We want some too" the twins chorused.

Vanitas simply glared at them.

"Sit up properly Sora" Impa chided him "you do not want anyone to see you in such a-"

Just as she was speaking, the door opened. Sora sat up so fast the twins heard his spine crack.

"Hey guys, is it just us today?" Aqua greeted.

Sora viewed her blankly "Oh, it's just Aqua, you gave me a fright"

Aqua threw him a puzzled expression "Did I do something wrong?"

Vanitas answered her: "He sat up so fast his spine cracked, Sora thought you were one of the peasents"

The female key-blade wielder ignored him.

"Will Link be coming today?" Impa directed her question at Aqua.

"No, he said he was going to visit his home village, he is taking the entire day off"

Hearing this, Sora dropped his head in his hands and groaned "Why didn't anyone tell me about this? I could've still been sleeping instead of waking up and sitting in an empty room!"

* * *

Mounting Epona, Link gave one last look at the towering turrets of Hyrule castle and set off for Ordona province. He looked forward to seeing his makeshift family again. Smiling to himself he set Epona on a comfortable pace, taking the time to muse about his transformation to a wolf. No matter how much he thought about it, he still could not come up with an explanation of why he turned into a beast in the first place. There seemed to be no lasting effects, but Link was aware that his senses had become much sharper than before. Whether this phenomenon was from joining a band of highly trained warriors or from changing into a wolf, Link wasn't sure yet.

Steering Epona through the gates, he stopped and dismounted in front of his house. Even though his quarters at Hyrule castle were much bigger and fancier, Link preferred his humble tree-house. It was where he grew up and made many fond memories in, a place where he had a family.

Staring at the passage leading to the village, he imagined that the children, especially Colin would be over-joyed to see him; the feelings were mutual of course he too missed them terribly. But first things first:

He needed a nap and a change of clothes.

* * *

Back in the House of Kingdom, the three happy siblings, (as Vanitas dubbed them) were making a huge racket. Vanitas scowled irritably when he heard Sora's raucous laughter echoing all the way from the 3rd floor of their mansion. Ignoring them he focused on the television but was interrupted again when felt the mansion shake.

Stomping up the stairs, he located the source of the trembling and peered inside the entrance. What he saw made him wish that he hadn't looked. Sora was conjuring up fireballs half his size and he and the twins were playing Ping-Pong with it. Every time Roxas or Ventus missed smacking the fiery balls back with their key-blade, it would hit against a wall, quaking the mansion and Sora would laugh mirthfully.

Determining that insanity might be contagious, Vanitas went back to his television. When he sat down, the butler, balancing a silver tray bearing an official letter approached him.

"Master Vanitas a let-"

"Leave me alone and leave that letter in Sora's study" he snapped.

* * *

Link yawned and stretched. Getting out of bed he pulled off his tunic and chain-mail and changed into more comfortable clothes, climbing down the ladder he took a good look at his house. Someone must have kept it clean because there were no dust nor any cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Grabbing the fishing rod Colin made him, he made his way to the village.

Upon entering the village, Link spied Talo barreling towards him like a rocket. Discarding the fishing rod, he braced himself to catch the boy. Even with extra precaution Talo still managed to tackle Link to the ground, standing over Link, he cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed:

"Link is back guys!"

And the little hamlet erupted into activity.

"So, is anyone of them as strong as you?" Colin questioned expectantly

Casting his fishing rod and with half of the town gathered around him Link paused before answering.

"All of them are stronger than me Colin. There are twins around your age that could best me in battle"

Beth squealed in delight "So you met them? Were they cute? Did they speak to you?"

Chuckling jovially he nodded.

Ilia beheld him with admiration, "Do the nobles bother you?" she asked gently.

"Not really, they mostly avoid everyone and keep to themselves. I've been with them almost two months now and not once did the leader of the Master Knights lead an expedition. He usually sends the 3rd ranked Knight to do the job. The guy has an ego problem"

Feeling a tug on the fishing line, Link reeled in a moderately sized fish and tossed it into a nearby bucket.

The kids cheered.

"Who is the leader now again?" Sera queried.

"Sora, first born to the House of Kingdom, he is both strict and polite. A good leader" Link replied.

There was a collective gasp.

"You are amazing Link!" Talo broke the silence, "I want to be your apprentice!"

Smiling, Link got up "Not now Talo, first you need to grow up and then you can think about training, but for now, how about we all head to the spring and play?"

Marching in a straight line, with Link leading, the children headed to Ordon spring.

Taking in the scene before him, Link sighed contently. Munching an apple, he dodged a stick flying his way and carried on eating. Talo and Colin had begun play fighting while Beth splashed them with water. Sometime later Ilia along with Epona joined them at the spring, moving to a far corner, Ilia began grooming the horse. And Malo stood aside with an uninterested expression on his face.

He was probably perfecting his plans for world domination but who cares?

To Link, his life as a knight and his life in the village seemed worlds apart. He briefly wondered if staying here forever would've made him happier.

He discarded such thoughts.

Lying back with his hands behind his head, he gazed at the azure sky, Yep, he loved his position as a knight, it was better than herding goats and he could protect the things that matter. Unbeknownst to him, the triforce symbol on the back of his hand glowed.

* * *

Sora felt happy, fireball Ping-Pong was so much fun, he wondered why Vanitas never joined them. Picking up the letter from his desk he studied the royal crest and thereafter neatly tore the envelope. Extracting the letter he read:

 _To Master Sora_

 _Council member_

 _Heir to the House of Kingdom_

 _Leader of the Master Knights_

Sora rolled his eyes and read further:

 _Greetings_

 _You are hereby required to attend a council meeting regarding the marriage of Princess Zelda. The meeting will take place at six-thirty sharp. Failure to attend will result in drastic consequences._

 _Looking forward to seeing you_

 _Signed:_

 _The High Priestess_

Sora grinned. Generally he hated council meetings but the ones regarding the princess' marriage were the prime exception. It was fun to see her give them one hundred and one reasons of why she shouldn't or couldn't marry. Each question was countered with fierce eloquence and the conferences only lasted about fifteen minutes before the older members (the one's forcing her to marry) gave up. Sora took great pleasure in seeing their haughty faces crumble with defeat.

Wearing appropriate clothes, he grabbed the comb and attempted to brush his hair, giving up when the comb stuck to his locks. Pulling it out with great difficulty, he ran his fingers through his hair, arranged it somewhat and went down.

In the kitchen Roxas was busy taking his tub of sea-salt ice-cream out of the freezer when Sora, in formal attire appeared.

"Hey Sora, we're having an ice-cream eating contest, want to join? See, even Vanitas is here" Ventus trilled.

Giving them a rueful smile he explained that he had a council meeting to attend.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes, just wait for me" saying this, he left.

* * *

"We will now begin the meeting" the priestess declared.

Snapping to attention, Sora sat up straighter. With one eye on the clock, he curbed the urge to smile, so far his day was going absolutely great, the princess had begun to speak and he tuned out his thoughts.

"I have decided to get married to Sora" she announced.

There was a deafening silence.

Sora blinked, then blinked again and blinked for a third time as the council members all gaped at him.

"Excuse me princess?" he whispered, his voice failing him.

"The council pesters me to marry and I have chosen a suitable husband for myself. An influential noble and leader of the famed Master Knights, you would make an excellent partner" Zelda responded.

Sora stared at her. Wait, was she blushing?

"But your majesty, I'm only eighteen years old" he almost whined, wondering if the princess has gone crazy.

Note the almost.

"It is of no matter; I have been getting proposals since I was sixteen years old. Some of the proposers were men of fifty" she countered.

Sixteen, Sora thought, Vanitas' age; the idea of someone offering Vanitas marriage and walking away unscathed was very slim indeed.

The princess looked eagerly at him; he noted that she averted her eyes shyly and flushed when he made eye contact. It was almost as if she was in love.

Love.

"The one who finds you worthy, will fall in love with you" Yen Sid warned.

It was impossible.

Utterly impossible.

Breaking out in a sweat, Sora mind reeled with despair. He mechanically turned his head to an aged council woman who started to talk.

"Pardon me princess, but have you gone mad?" she quipped "Of all the men in the land you chose him? Sora is a knight, a warrior, not a prince and certainly not king. He is not fit to lead a nation."

Okay, maybe there was hope for him.

"He successfully leads a band of powerful warriors and has been doing it since he was fifteen. Leading a nation is no challenge for him"

Or maybe no hope after all.

"Princess, he is not a Hylian, he is human!"

"Diversity creates unity council member Helen, I aim to create an alliance between Sora's home land and Hyrule."

"He hails from Destiny Islands which is situated in another dimension, please your highness, your arguments make absolutely no sense"

Zelda remained stone-faced.

"Also, he is far too adventurous to settle down and lead a country, not to mention that he is still too young"

The princess was not done yet: "Sora will move to Hyrule castle and will be properly educated on how to run a kingdom. I'll personally see to that."

"So you still insist on marrying the boy?" Helen sounded impatient.

"Yes" was the princess' eloquent reply.

"Fine!" retorted the old woman "hold a public engagement ball and a private wedding. Spare us the humiliation of your foolish decisions!"

"I will honor your decision Helen" she confirmed quietly.

The meeting broke up amidst scraping chairs and many murmurs. Numbed from head to toe, Sora was unaware of the looks several members gave him. He could only think about what he had done.

His curse had activated. He had bewitched the princess.

He was doomed.

* * *

Roxas stared at his melted ice-cream. Why he didn't put it back in the freezer was a question not even princess Zelda could answer. Stirring the watery contents with a spoon he spoke up:

"Big brother is late; he's being gone for 2 hours now"

"He's probably having his own ice-cream party with the princess" Vanitas said lazily "and put that disgusting mixture back in the freezer Roxas it looks like it could kill you"

Roxas pouted unhappily, one does not get away with insulting sea-salt ice-cream, unless you were big brother Vanitas.

The back door clicked. Ventus who'd been drooling on the table immediately jumped up from his place and ran off to greet Sora. The two of them walked into the kitchen with Sora ruffling his younger brother's hair. He had a tense smile on his face. Taking a seat opposite Vanitas he watched Roxas stirring his melted ice-cream and grimaced. Swallowing thickly he proclaimed:

"I'm getting married to princess Zelda"

Ventus paused from where he was taking a bucket of ice-cream out.

Roxas dropped his spoon.

Vanitas kept on examining his nails.

"We're still holding the ice-cream contest right?" Ventus enquired.

"Yeah, bring the tub out quickly you idiot, I'm starving" Vanitas called out.

Roxas picked up his spoon from the floor and stared sorrowfully at his tub. "Guess I'll have to take another one out" he added.

"I'M BEING SERIOUS GUYS!" Sora bellowed, his sharp tone froze his siblings in their tracks.

Sighing wearily, be beckoned Ventus to come closer. With everyone around him, he began to relate what happened in the meeting and how he was cursed by Maleficent when he went to investigate Hollow Bastion. While relating his story he became aware of Ventus sniffing and eventually crying quietly. Sora's heart felt like it shattered into a million pieces. His life with his quirky siblings was over; tomorrow he'd live in Hyrule Castle.

After he had finished, he raised his head. Roxas wiped away angry tears, his face in a scowl. Grabbing Ventus' hand they both went upstairs. Vanitas remained seated with an unfathomable expression.

It was eerily quiet in the kitchen.

"So Vans, what about you?"

Vanitas shot up "Do not call me that!" he screeched, eyes wide with undiluted fury. His breathing became erratic. Turning away from Sora he spat:

"Leave me alone, I hate you."

Collapsing on the sofa, Vanitas covered his eyes with one hand and tried to calm himself.

* * *

Three year old Vanitas, in an oversized T-shirt and shorts squinted at five year old Sora who was currently perched near the top of a Paopu tree. Reaching out and picking a fruit, Sora slid down the trunk, ripping his pants in the process.

On the ground Vanitas ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"I was scared you were gonna fall" he squeaked, clinging to Sora with all his might.

Sora boasted: "That won't happen Vans; I'm the best tree climber in the world!"

Removing himself from Vanitas' hold, he held the fruit up to the sky, sunlight bounced off the star-shaped fruit and it appeared more like a trophy than local produce. Vanitas' eyes shimmered with wonder and happiness. There was nothing big brother couldn't do:

Climb up the tallest tree just to get Vanitas his favorite Paopu fruit? Check.

Chase away the monsters underneath his bed? Check.

Sneak him out of the house in the middle of the night to play on the beach? Check.

Truly, Sora was his favorite person in the whole wide world.

* * *

Peeking at Vanitas crashed out on the couch Ventus concluded:

"He's sulking"

"Don't be a fool, he always looks like that" Roxas muttered back.

"I'm going to cheer him up"

"Wait Ven what are you-" too late Roxas realized that Ventus was preparing himself to launch on Vanitas' back. Roxas prayed that his younger brother wouldn't suffer from any permanent injuries.

Vanitas' back stung horribly when Ventus plowed into him. Instead of shoving the boy off, he reached his hand up and tousled his hair. Ventus then slid off and dragged Roxas over.

"Now it's your turn to cheer Vanitas up" he smiled.

Roxas shuffled nervously and climbed on the proffered back. Upon being hitched up comfortably he asked Vanitas softly:

"What's for dinner?"

Adjusting the twin securely on his now burning back he replied:

"Sea-salt ice-cream for you and Rockin' crunch for Ventus and myself. Sora isn't here to lecture us about our health; and while we're at it, chuck Sora's vanilla ice-cream in the bin. It's a waste of freezer space and I loathe that flavor.

* * *

AN: For some reason the sight of melted ice-cream makes me gag. Unfortunately my older brother has the habit of melting his bowl of ice-cream into a gooy mess and slurping it. Claims that it tastes better that way.


	5. Chapter 5: The blue-eyed sacred beast

AN: Virtual pizza (since I hate cookies and my little sister loves pizza) to Delta Princess for alerting my story. Thank you for reading.

PS: Sorry for the late upload, I forget about reality when I'm with my cousins. Also, the internet service in the village sucks

Please read and review.

Disclaimer: My baby sister is awesome and I do not own the Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom hearts.

* * *

Chapter 5: The blue-eyed sacred beast 

Link woke up and his blurred surroundings sharpened into focus. Remembering that he spent the previous day in Ordon village he stared at the ceiling of his home. Stomach rumbling, he rolled out of bed; put on his chain-mail and tunic and went into the kitchen to have breakfast. Stopping in the middle of the kitchen, he had to remind himself that he is now a knight with duties back at the castle and he had to leave Ordona today.

Something constricted in his chest and he tried to dismiss it.

Brushing Epona down thoroughly he mounted her and crossed the too quiet community. He gazed around, trying to take in everything as he rode Epona to Fado's ranch. Once Link got there, he asked Fado if he could herd the goats one last time.

"You don't need to Link; I got them all under control. Besides you are a knight now, knights don't herd goats."

"Please Fado" Link pleaded, "Just for nostalgia's sake"

Fado agreed.

Once the goats were all secured in the barn the rancher turned to Link:

"So, uh, you're leaving today right?"

"Yes, in fact I'm leaving right now" Link replied.

"The kids will miss you; they dislike seeing you leave."

Having nothing to say, Link secured his hat and spurred Epona out of the ranch, he sped past his village and home and on towards Hyrule castle.

* * *

The second son of the House of Kingdom stood behind the doors leading to the Knights' table and hesitated. After the events last night, he really did not want to see his older brother. But work was work, forcing down his troubled emotions, he whispered an incantation and entered the room.

Thankfully the leader of the Master Knights' was absent. Breathing an inaudible sigh he parked himself lethargically in his chair. Next to him Impa said:

"I heard what happened to Sora"

Vanitas kept silent

Seeing no reaction, Impa further pried: "How are Ventus and Roxas doing"

"…We're doing fine without that idiot having to mother us" Vanitas ended the conversation.

Impa was troubled. Sora had made light of his curse but when she saw him yesterday night, he looked like he was breaking apart. The expression of sorrow on his face seemed unrealistic. Sora, always smiling and laughing was like a ray of sunshine, lighting up people's moods.

If he wasn't acting like a noble that is.

Very few people actually grasped his true personality, the general public and even majority of the Knights' viewed him as a strict, noble leader. They had no idea of the child within him.

* * *

Upon entering Hyrule castle Link saw Sora looking at him with a stern expression. Wondering if he had been wrong on taking a day off, he approached his leader with the intention of apologizing. Before he could kneel down however the Master Knight spoke up:

"Come with me to the library, we need to discuss something"

Link blanched, he hoped this discussion wouldn't end with him being sacked from the Knights.

In the library Sora motioned for him to sit. Noting that he looked a little off, Link meekly sat down opposite him.

"I heard from Impa and Vanitas that you turned into a wolf, they also insisted that the transition was excruciating because you were screaming very loudly. I take it that you have no idea how it happened. Am I right?"

Taking a deep breath Link answered:

"Yes sir. As soon as I entered the Sacred Grove, I felt a queer sensation and morphed into a wolf. I didn't even notice the change until Sheikha pointed it out to me."

"Did you observe any lasting changes?"

"I…" Link trailed off.

'Feel like a beast' his mind supplied.

It was partly true and it scared him. When he woke up this morning, he was aware of things that he normally shouldn't be aware of. When herding the goats, he could hear their heartbeats, taste their fear and irritation and even now he could sense Sora's profound distress. He shook his head to clear it.

Sora stood up.

"Wait here" he commanded "I am going to get a scholar to help us understand your predicament"

Alone, Link stewed in his thoughts.

A few minutes later, Sora returned with a young man wearing glasses and carrying a thick book. Sliding into the bench next to Link he introduced himself:

"Hello, nice to meet you old boy, my name is Shad"

"He is the previous holder of the 10th rank of the Master Knights" Sora added.

"I thought the previous bearer of the 10th rank died in battle" Link blurted out stupidly.

Sora glared at him "And why would you think that? Dying in battle isn't as celebrated as you think."

Smoothly breaking the tension, Shad enquired as to why Sora brought him here. The key-blade wielder explained the situation as best as he could. It all sounded a bit bizarre and farfetched.

When Shad rotated to face Link, his eyes where shining behind his glasses.

"This is absolutely marvelous old boy, just like in the legends!" He exclaimed.

Taking note of Link's blank look Shad explained that over the course of history, there had been many chosen ones who had risen up to defend the country of Hyrule against evil and darkness. These heroes were almost always granted special abilities to help them in their quests. The most famous of them was the Hero of Time, who due to his special time travelling circumstances, split the world's time line into three parallel segments, one of which they are currently living in. There was one other hero, Shad continued, who could also shape shift in a fashion similar to Link, he turned into a rabbit every time he entered the dark realm.

Link frowned, the picture of the pink bunny that Shad was showing him, did not look very heroic.

Anyway, Shad concluded that his gift of shape-shifting was a given to him by the goddesses who chose him. If it was anything like the rabbit-shape shifter, then his transformation would also be triggered by darkness or the presence of dark creatures around him.

At this information, Link suddenly remembered the overwhelming sensation of monsters in the Sacred Grove just as he entered it, then the transformation took place and left his senses sharper than before.

"So I am not an ordinary wolf?" Link questioned.

"No, you are what they call a Sacred Beast" Shad responded.

Pointing at the picture, Link demanded if the pink rabbit was also a sacred beast. Getting a negative reply he exhaled in apparent relief.

"Good" Sora cut in "Follow me to the courtyard Link, we are going to control this ability of yours"

Shad look alarmed "I don't think it works like that Master Sora"

His countenance hardened.

"Where there is a will, there's a way"

* * *

Link stood awkwardly in front of Sora, the guy was unyielding.

"Try again" he ordered

Closing his eyes, Link willed himself to change shape, he even tried imagining the agony he felt the first time he transformed into a beast.

But nothing happened.

On the verge of giving up, Link requested Sora to explain to him the purpose of controlling his shape-shifting ability.

"Don't you think it would be highly inconvenient to turn into a wolf every time you encountered monsters and darkness? You mentioned that the light of the Master sword triggered your transition back into a human but what if you are in a position where you are unable to access it? What will you do then?

Link had to admit that Sora had a point. No wonder he was the leader.

Shutting his eyes once again, Link gave a final try but before he could concentrate he felt a sinister presence approaching. Snapping his eyes open, his body tensed and without being aware of it he began to growl softly.

Princess Zelda, in all her glory appeared. Directing a too wide smile at Sora, who for some reason looked really unhappy, she handed over a letter and then stood there and stared at him dreamily.

Sora outright ignored her as he read the letter. Addressing her he said:

Princess Zelda, it was really unnecessary for you to deliver this letter personally, please send one of the messengers next time.

Zelda simply blushed, waving at Sora, who still didn't look at her, she disappeared.

Link was creeped out, the sinister presence he felt earlier seemed to be coming from the princess and he had no idea how to break that news to Sora.

But he tried anyway.

"Master Sora" he began "I don't think that was is Princess Zelda, her behavior is quite unlike her and she is giving off something akin to darkness"

"She's been bewitched" the words tumbled out of Sora's mouth before he could stop himself.

Realizing that he had said too much, Sora kept silent.

"By you sir?"

Narrowing his eyes, Sora directed his gaze at Link, who studied him evenly. He briefly wondered how Link had found out, Impa would never betray him and he was pretty sure that Vanitas or any of his siblings did not have a chance to meet Link this morning.

Drawing his key-blade and pointing it at Link he demanded that the Hylian tell him how he found out.

Eyeing the key-blade with wary Link merely said that he sensed it. Somehow Sora knew he was telling the truth, chosen ones have uncanny abilities, he should know that better than anyone.

Since Sora was a chosen one himself.

"Spar with me for a while, I need to gauge your strength" he efficiently changed topics.

Unsheathing his sword, Link got ready.

And they clashed.

* * *

"Very impressive, Guard Captain Rusl has taught you well"

Link panted, how on earth was Sora not out of breath? He pondered. They have been fighting for almost an hour, in close combat form. Sora's key-blade handling style was extremely simplistic, he held the grip with two hands and swung it around and that was basically it, Link was mortified that Sora managed to disarm him almost ten times. His strength, suspected Link, lay in his speed and unorthodox method of fighting, using weird combos and attacks that one did not see coming, not to mention his endurance; Sora could smash into a wall and fly (literally) back at the opponent in a blink of an eye.

Link also had a vague idea that Sora was not only good in close combat, but highly proficient in magic as well. He really wanted a demonstration of what the leader of the Master Knights was capable of.

"Master Sora, you can perform magic as well right?"

"Yes"

"Could you please give me a small demo?"

Raising his key-blade to the sky, Link heard Sora shout something. A little while later, his eyes almost popped out of his sockets when a meteor came hurtling out of the sky and destroyed one of the turrets of Hyrule castle.

"I guess my aim was a bit off" Sora carelessly droned.

Link immediately regretted his decision of wanting to see Sora's proficiency in magic.

Sora faced him and said:

"Link, I was cursed and somehow Zelda got roped into it, I trust you not to spread this around. No-one should be aware of it, do you understand?"

Link, who now felt really honored because the Master Knight had trusted him with a secret, bowed.

* * *

He was in a pickle. No matter how hard he pushed or pulled, the door wouldn't budge. Loosely remembering that one needed an incantation of some sort to enter the room, he stood before the door helplessly. Sora had dismissed him after their session, telling him to go wait at the Knights' table. All was fair, except that Link was now stuck outside.

Thankfully Zack trudged up to him mere moments later.

"Why the long face Link? Is there something wrong?"

"I can't get in" he mournfully stated.

Zack laughed, "Sora forgot to teach you the password, didn't he. Don't worry it's a common occurrence, he always forgets to teach new recruits."

"So what's the password" Link inquired, anxious to get inside.

Striking a pose, the soldier exclaimed:

"We are the Master Knights, we fight, we hear and we obey."

Link's anticipation deflated. "That sounded lame and backwards" he offered.

"Hey don't look at me; the leader was the one who came up with it"

"You know what Zack? The motto sounds extremely uplifting"

Chuckling, the duo stepped into the chamber.

Sora's appearance half an hour later ceased all discussions and laughter at the Knights' table. He didn't sit down. Pushing his chair backwards, he stood at his place and garnered the attention of the occupants in the room.

Deciding to rattle all the unpleasant news off in one breath, he inhaled deeply and began:

"I'm going to get married to princess Zelda, the-" and he was duly interrupted by none other than Ashei.

"Wait, what did you say? That sounds completely ridiculous yeah."

Used to this by now, the first knight let it slide and continued: "engagement ball will be taking place one month from now, and thereafter we will have a private wedding. All Knights are required to attend the ball with their formal battle armor and failure to do any of the above will result in the knight being suspended or possibly expelled."

Man that sounded harsh.

Some of the knights gawked in shock, while others were disinterested. Then Zack spoke up:

"Sir, why do we have to wear battle armor at an engagement ball?" he queried

"It'll totally chase away the ladies" he muttered to himself.

"If you have a brain up there in your skull ninth rank, you will notice that engagement balls and parties thrown by royal or noble families tend to get sabotaged more often than not. Please explain to me how you intend to fight without proper equipment and when your mind is engaged with trying to woo females?"

Oh, so Sora can be snarky.

Zack sunk low in his seat, speculating how Sora heard the part about the ladies.

He decided to add a telepathic Sora to his list of things to worry about at night.


	6. Chapter 6: Malevolent premonitions

AN: To make up for the late update, here is another chapter. Please read and review. Hope you readers enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own KH or Legend of Zelda, if i did, KH3 would've been released already.

* * *

Chapter 6: Malevolent premonitions.

Aqua's eyes shimmered at the sight of the hall. Bedecked in full body armor and feeling slightly a bit out of place, her cape fluttered behind her as she ascended the steps. Perhaps one day she could have a wedding like this but for now those thoughts where whacked to the back of her mind. Entering the large hall, she spied many nobles mingling about; however none of her fellow knights were present. Thinking that she might do something useful instead of just waiting, she scoured the room.

The ballroom was stunningly decorated. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, golden light spilling from them. Underfoot lush velvet carpeting muffled steps. The windows were draped with thick cream colored curtains, the symbol of the triforce glittering on them. Hyrule's imperial colors of white, purple and gold have been used. Waiters delivered excellent service, balancing trays of snacks and refreshments and offering them to visitors. Off to one side, musicians performed a melodious piece, soft and lilting adding serenity to the general mood. In short, it was a fantastic place to be, except for one individual:

Poor Sora.

* * *

Wearing a tuxedo and standing like a mannequin, Sora had to content himself with princess Zelda fussing over him. She straightened his already straight tie, brushed his suit off like a hundred times and tried to comb his hair stopping when the comb broke. The princess herself was dressed impeccably as usual, this time a sleeveless ruffled ball gown complimenting her figure. Unfortunately the happier she got, the more miserable her husband to be felt. Finally feeling close to tearing his hair out, Sora gently took her hands off his tie, on the other end, she immediately froze and reddened.

He felt a lump in his throat, her strange behavior and false happiness was all his fault. If the public found out that her judgment was clouding as well, she'd be dethroned. Sora could not let that happen, Zelda was a wise and kind princess, putting her people above everything else. She cared about this kingdom more than Sora or the Master Knights would ever care.

Casting his eyes down, he guided her out to the ball room.

"Let's go princess" he spoke softly "the people are waiting for us"

* * *

Looking at all the finely-dressed groups milling around, Link poked one of the blue jewels that was set on his golden armor. Feeling a bit embarrassed because he was never this well dressed his entire life he almost jumped out of his boots when Aqua exclaimed:

"Wow Link, you look very handsome!"

Link couldn't help it, he blushed.

She examined him from different angles, her armor creaking with each step.

"You have short hair; I was always under the impression that your hair was long under the green, uh, cap you wore"

"Do I also get compliments and a free ogling? Asked a voice behind them.

They spun around to face Zack, clad in his Soldier's uniform, the hilt of the buster sword sticking out from behind his back.

"Oh, its you Zack, I haven't seen you in your Soldier uniform for quite some time" she stated.

"What, is that it?" he protested "Aren't you going to say; hey Zack you look really gorgeous, want to dance?"

Link laughed while Aqua threw him a politely deadpan look.

Turning to Link, Zack gave him a once-over and asked:

"Dude, where did you get that? It looks like it belonged to a king or something."

Link began to relate his story of how he panicked when he heard Sora say that the Master Knights were to be dressed in formal armor. Owning only the worn, green, hand-me-down tunic, he went to his mentor for help. Guard Captain Rusl then pulled out the set Link was currently wearing and called it the Magic armor. It seems like the armor belonged to an ancestor of Captain Rusl's.

"And he just gave it to you like that?" Zack prodded.

"Well no, he said I could borrow it for the ceremony"

Further conversation was cut off when there was a commotion and the guests made a wide path to let a group of people through.

There was a lot of hushing, shushing and general whispered gossiping.

"They are here"

"Oh my, the second born looks exactly like his older brother."

"With black hair and golden eyes, isn't he just dreamy?"

"He does not look dreamy, more like evil. The older one looks much more attractive"

"The twins are all grown up, they're absolutely perfect"

"Do you think he'll accept my marriage proposal?"

"No, way, I hope, I want him to be my husband!"

And so it carried on.

Vanitas, clad in a black and red body suit with metal guards framing his face and back of his head, wanted very much to put up his domed helmet, but the sight of Sora standing at the top of the stairs, made him stop doing any unnecessary things. Roxas and Ventus were sporting identical armor pieces, fashioned similar to Aqua's. Shaded mostly in blues and gold, their silvery capes wavered behind them with each stride they took. It was regal company and even though most nobles wanted to join them, they were afraid to approach, doubly so now that the eldest son is getting engaged to the princess.

Also it did not help the confidence of the surrounding company when Vanitas glared at them each time they tried to shuffle forward.

* * *

Vanitas was angry, no, not angry, livid. He'd just about had it with girls giggling and batting their eyelashes at him. And there were the twins to worry about. Whilst making the grand entry, he spied an older woman winking at Ventus who thankfully was too dumb to notice. Maybe he should introduce Void-gear to that hag's face. Grabbing the younger twin's cape when he started to venture too far Vanitas hissed at him:

"Ventus, if a crazy woman kidnaps and forcibly marries you, I'll tell Sora it's your fault"

Said boy ignored his warning and nodded to a group walking towards them.

The big brother, still clutching Ventus narrowed his eyes and prepared to stare them to death, only to falter when he realized it was his fellow Master Knights approaching with Aqua in the lead.

"Still as popular with the ladies huh?" Zack spoke first.

"Shut it commoner."

Upon seeing Link, Vanitas smirked while the younger ones gazed at him in awe.

"Did you sell your-" he began but was interrupted by Aqua before he could spout anything rude.

"How are you guys? And I must say Roxas, Ventus you two look awesome" she complimented and added as an afterthought "Vanitas, as well"

Link smiled politely and greeted "Hello"

Out of nowhere Sora appeared and the duo immediately rushed to him and hugged his waist, armor clonking together.

The rest of the Knights' save for Vanitas bowed down to him.

Running his fingers through their hair, his younger brothers looked up and beamed at him. Their smiles simultaneously shrunk and disappeared when they saw his face.

Sora was crying, tears spilling silently down a face set in stone.

* * *

Standing safely away from the crowd on the Second floor, Sora clutched the banister and viewed the surroundings with red-rimmed eyes. He made a mental note of the attendance of the Knights'; fortunately all of them had kept their word and attended the ball. Some dressed lavishly (who knew Link had golden armor stored in his closet) and others simply, like his most trusted colleague Impa. Hearing someone behind him, he prayed to every deity he could think of that the person coming to him would not be a giggling, blushing Zelda.

"It is quite rude, prince Sora to ignore a guest" said a gruff voice.

Spinning around Sora saw the prince of the Gerudo kingdom, Ganondorf, giving him a dry smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to ignore, I was lost in my thoughts"

The Gerudo's eyes twinkled with malice: "Is the responsibility of running a kingdom too much for you? To think that the leader of the famed Knights' was this spineless is quite…disappointing"

Sora was too tired to argue back.

"Well if you do become king, I assure you, you will make a fine one. You have all the qualities required to be a great leader, nobility, kindness and love for your people. But you have one short coming"

"Tell me more" Sora was a bit hypnotized by Ganondorf's little speech and it provided a nice distraction from the depressing thoughts swirling in his head.

"Power" The holder of the triforce replied arrogantly "You, Sora lack power, which is why you are in this position"

"Power" Sora repeated.

"Yes, to have ultimate control you need to rule through fear, everyone will bow down to you, they will obey you unquestionably"

"That is a dubious way to run a kingdom" Sora snapped out of his daze, "Zelda rules with wisdom and care, she has not let Hyrule disintegrate"

Sneaking a glance at the princess who was spying Sora from behind a pillar, Ganondorf continued:

"I suppose her infinite wisdom is muddling her mind? She seems to be behaving a bit abnormally. Fortunately it is none of my business, I hope you lead Hyrule to prosper prince Sora, please do not let it end up like my once glorious desert kingdom. It now lies in ruins and is the fascination of many archeologists."

Giving Sora a stiff bow, he turned his heel and marched off.

Ignoring the hiding princess, he went back to clinging the banister and cleared his throat in preparation of a speech. For the last few weeks, one of Zelda's appointed teachers drilled this particular lecture in his mind. Through the lessons of etiquette, dancing and the general running of the kingdom, Sora had steam coming out of his ears. Also the worst part was that he could not go out anywhere, he was confined to the castle. Therefore he only saw his siblings at the Knights' table.

It drove him insane. How did the princess endure this?

Calming himself, he nearly screamed when he felt two dainty hands gripping his arm. The princesses' concerned face swam into view.

"Are you okay? You look disturbed" she spoke.

"I'm fine princess, pay me no attention"

She looked away "I would prefer it if you called me Zelda"

Zelda, somehow it felt strange to address her only by her name but he decided to give it a shot.

"I'm fine…Zelda"

Mercifully she let go of his arm.

* * *

The mellow atmosphere was making Link giddy. Zack was cracking jokes and making their little company laugh. Vanitas and the twins left a while ago and they were joined by Ashei, Auru and his wife. Excusing himself, he stepped outside and breathed in fresh air. Link was so engrossed with gazing at the night sky; he didn't notice Vanitas standing next to him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked in the friendliest tone he could muster.

Which was not much since it still sounded close to a growl.

"Yes sir" came Link's reply

"You hate crowds?"

"No, I was just overwhelmed a bit; I have never been to any function like this before"

Vanitas snorted at this "Get used to it, there is more coming your way."

The sound of a bell resonated from the direction of the hall. Vanitas motioned Link to go inside.

"My princely brother needs to make a speech" he listlessly said.

* * *

Inhaling deeply Sora addressed the people below him:

"Greetings everyone, firstly I would like to thank each and every one for attending this occasion. The princess and I hope to get married in a private ceremony sometime next week and this engagement ball was the preliminary celebration. Secondly, it is my great honor to be engaged to the princess and becoming the prince of Hyrule. I promise to try and uphold all the duties I am given and to lead Hyrule to greater heights. Even though I have become a prince, I'll still be leading the Master Knights' so rest assured that the country's defense is in good hands"

Underneath, some visitors started clapping and wiping tears, Sora was both good-looking and a great orator.

"Lastly I aspire to lead like princess Zelda, it is under her rule that we enjoyed many years of prosperity and I aim to keep it that way, so all hail princess Zelda!"

"ALL HAIL PRINCESS ZELDA" the gathering chorused.

His speech done Sora gave a satisfied sigh, it was not verbatim to the script, but it'll do.

"Sora there is something wrong" The princess' grave tone cut into his musings.

He rotated towards her.

She blinked at him as if seeing him clearly for the first time.

"Why are you wearing a suit?" Sweeping her gaze around the area she further questioned "And where am I? What is this place?"

Sora frowned.

'Is the curse-'

Focusing her attention back to him she continued:

"Well, I will deal with the distractions later, but listen Sora, Ganondorf, the chief of the now derelict desert kingdom is the holder of the triforce of power. I'm sure of it, we must stop him or else he will plunge Hyrule into an era of darkness. One other thing, He is risen again and he plans on using you."

By now Sora was understandably confused.

"Zelda slowdown, who is-"

Unfortunately, she had fainted in his arms.

"So how is my pet?" An aged voice rasped from the shadows

An orange haired man replied:

"Fear not, he is breaking, his mind cracking, he will go mad before long."

* * *

AN: My sister always assumed that Link's hair was long, so once she glimpsed TP Link without his windsocky hat she was like: "Oh my god! If he doesn't have long hair why does he wear such a long hat?" When i tried to explain to her about the hero reincarnation thing, she fell asleep.

Yeah, she's adorable like that.


	7. Chapter 7: Friends

AN: I am so, so, SO, sorry for not updating. The place I live in has no internet connection whatsoever. Yep I live in a jungle.

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ or KH, since I struggle with internet problems

Please read and review.

* * *

Chapter 7: Friends

At the Knight's table it was becoming a common occurrence to see the leader absent. Not that it bothered anyone much, in fact some were relieved. Sora had attended a few times after the engagement ball but since tying the knot, not once did he set foot in the room. When asked, Vanitas gave unsatisfactory answers, propped his feet up on the blue glass and shut his eyes, cutting off all communication. Gradually the conversation at the table morphed from war tactics to stories and reminiscing. To everyone's never ending shock, even Vanitas contributed to the discussions, though they consisted of mostly one-lines and snarky comments.

"I still think wearing armor to the ball was a complete waste, I didn't get to dance with anyone" Zack grumbled.

Aqua sighed "Zack you have been complaining about that for almost one and a half months, we were there for security reasons not to have fun"

"But nothing happened!"

"Thank goodness nothing happened, you should be grateful that it all went well" Aqua said a bit impatiently.

Zack kept quiet.

"Hmm, what should we talk about today?" Asked Auru in an effort to disperse the tension.

"Swap stories" Vanitas ordered much to everyone's surprise.

Ashei spoke up: "I want to hear how the newbie, sorry Link, cleared the forest temple all alone, even if it is a small temple, doing it all alone takes guts yeah."

Link became self-conscious as all the attention now turned to him.

"I didn't complete the temple all by myself actually, I had help"

"Really? From who?" asked one of the knights.

"Monkeys" replied Link.

Silence

"They probably saw a family resemblance in you" smirked an amused Vanitas.

The knights' chuckled good naturedly.

Link began to relate the story of how he was compelled to clear the dungeon. He'd woken up on one of his off days by the hollering of the children in the village. Talo had acquired a slingshot from somewhere and was eager to show Link. Boasting about how he could use it better than anyone, he demanded that Link shoot the home-made targets he put up. Talo was speechless when Link, not only shot bull's-eyes but destroyed the wooden targets as well. Considering this, the little boy now commanded Link to take him as an apprentice. Link being Link refused.

"And so he ran off to Faron woods and his father threw a fit, so I decided to try and coax him back"

"Sounds like a spirited kid" Auru added.

Borrowing a sword and a crude shield from Rusl, Link stepped into Faron woods and was unnerved on seeing the presence of monsters. Normally Faron woods did not house them, maybe one or two, but not so much. Fearing for Talo's safety he searched the woods and found no sign of him. Now close to hysterical, he ran all the way to the entrance of the Forest Temple to see him and a female monkey trapped in a wooden cage guarded by monsters. As he saw Link, the boy yelled in relief.

Link on the other hand was far from comforted. His feet rooted to the ground and he felt faint. Suppressing his fear he yelled a battle cry and charged the monsters.

"I don't remember the battle actually; all I can recall is blindly swinging my sword"

"Still" Aqua put in "it was very brave of you"

"One question, how did you know it was a female monkey in that cage?" Zack inquired.

Link paused.

"I'm not sure, I merely assumed because she had her arms around Talo."

Right.

After rescuing Talo, they resolved to return home, instead the female monkey screeched in Link's face; she kept on dancing around them and barring their way. Instructing the young boy to go back alone, Link allowed the monkey to lead him into the temple. The first chamber was full of human sized spiders, which Link, in a paroxysm of fear managed to kill. The second room opened up to windy corridor and his hat was almost blown off his head.

'So it's not a windsock' the twins thought.

He was chewed and spat out by a Deku Like, thrown off by Tile worms, had bomblings blowing up in his face and almost fell off a broken bridge when he was looking back whilst running from some monster. The primate, in appreciation for her earlier rescue helped Link cross the bridge in a trapeze artist's move. During that time, the poor guy had his eyes shut.

Finally collapsing in a room full of high totem poles, he opted to take a rest, only to receive a face full of wind and a large white furred ape slapping and wagging its butt in Link's face. By now, Link's earlier terror had given way to a sore body, tiredness and anger. Drawing his sword in a smooth motion, he stabbed the monkey's butt with vengeance. Screaming, it dropped a boomerang and left.

"You… stabbed a monkey….in its butt…" sniggered Ashei.

"So that was the mid-boss?" Sheikha questioned

"I suppose" answered Link "it dropped the Gale boomerang and just left, probably infected by the darkness in the temple"

The mood turned a bit tense.

"Carry on with the story" Zack prompted.

Running from one room to the other, Link rescued all of the female monkey's friends. Turns out that this was the reason she dragged Link into the temple. Spotting the boss room on the other side of a large chasm, he decided that he had enough and will now be going back to his village. Fortune was not on his side, as the freed simians made a chain and grabbed Link by the ankles after he faced away; they then tossed Link over to the other side of the gap. He landed face first into the ground and was knocked unconscious.

Waking up, his eyes were drawn to the large padlock securing the entrance to the chamber. Frustrated beyond words because he had no idea one needed a key, he brought his sword down on the lock. Astonishingly it broke. Entering the room he was graced with the sight of the largest and ugliest monster he had ever seen. With shaking hands he managed to pull out his sword and shield, said shield corroded two seconds later while he defended against Diababa's acid breath. Retreating to a place far from the monstrosity's breath of doom Link stared at his sword helplessly.

In a flash of inspiration, Link remembered the Gale boomerang. Taking it out, he threw it at one of the heads without much thought and was delighted when the weapon conjured up a mini-tornado of wind and magical leaves and smacked the head into the pool of acid it was secured on. Getting the hang of it, he flung the boomerang to the other head and it followed suit. Just as he thought the battle was over, both heads resurfaced and brought a third one along.

Link was mad. His rage turned to confusion on seeing the mid-boss monkey give a cry and swing bravely in front of Diababa, with a bombling clutched in his feet. His thoughts clear, Link knew what to do. He targeted the bombling and hurled his new favorite weapon, then guided it to the third head. Upon impact, it resounded with an agreeable boom. He did this twice and was rewarded as soon as the monster shriveled up and died.

The table was quiet as a grave.

And then it exploded into a tremendous cheer.

"You did not seem so fearful whilst leading the second dungeon" Auru commented.

"That's because I had friends" Link replied warmly.

Friends.

* * *

Sneaking out of the castle was extremely risky but the prince did it anyway. Sprinting through the dark corridor he was overjoyed the minute he saw all his friends waiting for him on the other side. Tumbling out he sat tiredly on the floor.

"Thanks for inviting us to your engagement and wedding Sora" Riku sarcastically greeted.

Kairi's reaction was more compassionate. She went to Sora and helped him up.

"Riku" Sora wheezed "If I was marrying someone I wanted to marry then you'd be the first guest on my list, the engagement was rushed and the wedding was private so sorry if-"

Riku's eyes softened, "I know, I was just teasing."

King Mickey spoke up: "It's nice of you to visit us at least Sora, we can discuss your problem together"

"I'm not visiting Mickey; I snuck out of the castle since I can't go anywhere. Zelda decrees that we do everything together and I cannot leave her sight."

"That sounds romantic" Kairi offered.

Sora shot her a withering look.

"I want the old princess Zelda back!" he yelled to no one in particular.

Kairi whispered to Riku: "He's losing it, isn't he?"

Riku merely nodded.

Once his breathing was back to normal Sora turned to Yen Sid who was the only one not reveling at the prince's appearance. Gazing at the key-blade master's stern face he voiced out shakily:

"Did you find out how to undo my curse, or at least lessen its effects, or something about it?"

Yen Sid, stroking his beard, took his time answering.

"Your curse Sora has already been undone."

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but the old master stopped him.

"The effects of the curse however, are a different story. No matter what magic spell you try, the results will not change, as with all bewitchings, this one will wear off in due time but how long, we cannot tell. It could stop in a few days or last several years."

The Master knight gulped, several years, he might as well start digging a grave for himself.

"On the eve of our engagement, Zelda had returned to her old self for just a moment. She uttered a premonition and fainted soon after; can you tell me what this means?"

"I suppose, she briefly broke the spell binding her, if you could eliminate the source she'll be back to normal" Yen Sid responded.

Sora's eyes glittered with renewed energy and he smiled.

"It's settled; Riku and I will go to Hollow Bastion and get rid of Maleficent. Everything will go back to normal. The princess will come to her senses and realize that marrying me was a mistake, we'll get divorced and I can go back to living with Vanitas, Roxas and Ventus" he dreamily prattled.

Riku, being the more level-headed one immediately noticed a fatal flaw in Sora's perfect plan.

"Umm, Sora, you can't go, there is a high chance you might just be cursed again, or have something even worse being done to you."

Sora's enthusiasm deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Send Vanitas, he is immune to the powers of darkness right? I'm pretty sure he will do the job as good as you, don't worry, I'll go with him and make sure that we defeat Maleficent once and for all."

Sora forced a cheery smile at his best friend.

"Thanks Riku, I'll do that."

* * *

"So who's next?"

"I guess I can tell you guys about Snowpeak yeah." Drawled Ashei.

"Zack is not really fond of that place, are you Zack" Sheikha probed him.

"No, the place is filled with creepy snow wolves or whatever they are called"

At this Link growled, insulting wolves was not cool.

Snowpeak, like the name insinuated, was a snowy mountainous province. Since it is very cold, few people make their homes up there. There is small hamlet from where Ashei comes from, other than that the mountain is inhabited by ice monsters and a pair of abominable snow-man like creatures called Yeto and Yeta.

"Apparently, they are a married couple" the spunky female clarified.

Yeto and his wife lived in a mansion right at the apex of Snowpeak, the fastest way to get there was by sledding, which, to the surprise of no-one, Ashei was fond of. Apparently, Yeta was better and faster than her humungous husband.

"The place is boring, nothing really happens there. So I came to Hyrule to check it out and joined the knights yeah. So far life's been going great" She nodded.

It all sounded so casual to Link that he did not know what to think.

"Link, how about you request a story next" Auru said to him.

He looked around the table and his eyes settled on the twins and their blank faces.

"I'd like to know how Ventus and Roxas managed to join the ranks"

Vanitas' eyes narrowed. "Why?" he hissed.

"Curiosity, they look far too young and delicate to be fighting like soldiers"

At this statement, the 3rd rank holder's face split into a sardonic grin.

Roxas and Ventus were undisputedly very strong. They were ranked 7th because Sora was overprotective and didn't want them to be put in the front-lines should a battle occur. They were recommended to enlist for the knights by princess Zelda herself (and due to the fact that Sora, being the heir of House of Kingdom was quite persuasive.) The decision to enroll them had been ideal as Roxas single-handedly defeated the previous knight in two minutes flat. Moreover he did it without trying.

Ventus on the other hand was trained by Master Eraqus, one of the most respected key-blade masters of all time. Despite being younger than Aqua and less experienced, he could hold himself well in a mêlée against her. Ventus also held the title of being the fastest member in the Master Knights'. Apart from his twin, no-one could match him in his superior speed.

Link stared at them. The twins shuffled nervously, what Vanitas said was absolutely true, he could see the power emanating from them. Bright and beautiful; yet deadly and suffocating.

"You sound proud of your brothers Vanitas" The green-clad hero commented.

"Hmph, my brothers can wipe the floor with your face; but they have a long way to go if they want to catch up to _me_ " Vanitas bragged.

His ears tingled and his breathing quickened at the prospect of a skirmish. Pupils dilating Link challenged:

"Why don't you give us an example then, see who's stronger"

Impa darted a disgusted glance at him.

"We all know that Vanitas is stronger, the twins have no need to prove anything.

Relaxing his rigid stance, his initial thirst for battle gave way to horror.

Did Link just salivate at the thought of a fight?

The mere notion of it scared him out of his mind.


	8. Chapter 8: The Gorons said I'm worth it

AN: And chapter 8 is up. I finally got internet connection guys. Yay.

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own KH nor LOZ, fanfiction writers do not have that privilege.

* * *

Chapter 8: Because the Gorons said I'm worth it.

Pushing open the door and entering the Knights' chamber, Link's heart did a gymnastics routine as he gaped at Sora seated alone at the head of the table.

"You don't need to look at me like that 10th rank, I assure you I'm very much alive and not a ghost."

Link picked his jaw off the floor and sat in his customized seat. A few days after he joined the knights, the simple wooden chair had been replaced by a high-backed throne. The symbol of the triforce was etched on the back and it was decorated with a leafy motif. Green and gold, Link loved it, it was way better than Zack's metal themed one.

About forty-five minutes later a meeting around the Knights' table was in full swing, as usual, it consisted of Sora giving orders and tasks to the rest of his warriors.

"I have been absent for a while since I had personal work to finish. But today, I will lead-"

And was cut off by Ashei.

"Oh my goodness did I hear correctly? You will lead? This is the best thing to happen this year yeah." she said without much enthusiasm.

"five selected persons to come with me to Goron village. Link is coming with to familiarize himself and the rest of the team will consist of-"

"Please count me in" Ashei pleaded.

Or demanded, take your pick.

Casting a fierce glower at her, he continued "Sheikha, Zack and Ashei"

He elaborated further that the Goron village was located on Death Mountain, an active volcano. The Gorons were the owners of the Goron mines, which ran deep inside the volcano and unearthed precious metals and stones. Instead of shipping them out and making a profit, the Gorons used these stones as food, apparently diamonds were a delicacy. Sora was given a letter requesting him to pay a visit to their city. It seems like they have run into some trouble and needed help.

Standing up, Sora created a dark corridor and commanded the five named Knights' to follow him.

The inside of the corridor was frankly unimpressive. It was like crossing an endless room of black, the sensation of it was making Link ill at ease, at any moment he felt like he would turn into a wolf. Finally touching solid ground he breathed in relief.

Goron city however, was impressive. The homes were hewn straight on the mountain face making them almost invulnerable. The place was littered with steam-vents and Link distinctly heard Zack murmuring about a giant underground hot spring that he wanted to visit. Since they materialized right in front of the chief's house, Link had no idea that the Gorons were metal smiths and most of Hyrule castle's weaponry was made by them.

The door in front of them opened and they all trooped in.

Gorons were a humanoid race and best described as boulder like. Towering over Sora, their chief looked past him and set his sight on Link. He then angled his head back to Sora.

"You do know, brother Sora, that we do not allow those who are not worthy to enter our homes."

At this Sora replied "Yes, I'm sorry, Link is a new recruit and I brought him here to meet you people." Turning to the rest of the knights he added "Please stand outside all of you, until I finish my discussion with Cor Goron."

Outside Link enquired:

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No you didn't, it is a Goron custom, if you to visit their village or enter their dwellings you are required to be worthy. That means to pass a task they set on you" Sheikha explained.

"So what do I have to do?"

"Freeze the volcano base so it doesn't erupt yeah."

Link's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"I… what?" he garbled.

Giving him a smile Ashei clarified "It was my task; I finished it without a hitch yeah."

"I had to clean the mines" Zack ruefully said "I virtually died from the heat."

"What about you Sheikha?"

Zack spoke up: "They took one look at Sheikha and deemed Sheikha worthy, no assignments needed"

Privately Link agreed with them.

"What about Master Sora?" he further probed.

"I heard he bested them at a drinking match yeah"

Once again Link was at loss for words, the image of a drunken Sora was simply inconceivable.

"No, he was challenged to a Sumo match and he won."

By now, Link's head felt like exploding, "How on earth did our skinny leader win against those boulder people?" he exclaimed.

No one responded as the aforementioned skinny leader was standing right behind Link.

Spinning around, Link introduced his face to the ground and apologized profusely. Sora hand waved the incident aside and informed him that he too had to beat them in a brotherly sumo-wrestling contest.

Was it Link's imagination or was Sora smirking?

* * *

"You must be honored Link, to be given the same challenge as our leader" Aqua tried to cheer him up.

Link smiled at her, he appreciated her efforts at cheering up, but seriously winning against those Gorons was hopeless and he accidentally insulted their leader so asking him for advice was out of the question. Therefore, having nothing to do, he slumped over the table and decided to take a nap. Only to be startled out of his position as Sora walked in with Ilia's father, Bo.

What was Mayor Bo doing here anyway?

Was there some trouble at Ordon village?

Link's body tensed.

Realizing Sora was beckoning him; he quickly scrambled out of his place and went over.

"I'm sure you two are acquainted already, Link, Bo will teach you the art of sumo wrestling. He is a fine teacher and I was taught by him."

Oh, Sora wasn't so heartless after all.

Bo turned to Link "Right boy, let's get started, to the training hall."

Mortified at having his chest bared, Link tried hard not to focus on the whisperings of 'I never knew he was buff' and 'comes from being a goat herder, nice muscles though' coming from where the knights' were seated. He tried to ignore Mayor Bo in front of him. Seeing the dignified mayor in an Ordonian loin-cloth was not helping Link's respect for him nor was it allowing Link to pay attention to the rules of sumo-wrestling. It was even worse when he did a vertical split, Link was sure his retinas would burn out.

"Did you understand the rules Link?"

He mutely nodded.

"Then come at me!"

Five seconds later he soared through the air and landed on Impa, who thankfully caught him. Carrying him back to the ring, she set him down gently and patted his back.

"Try again and try harder" she encouraged.

And so he did.

Pushing with all the strength he could muster Link grappled with Bo and stood his ground, shifting out of the way when the wrestler tried to smack him, he grabbed Bo's midsection, biceps straining, he screamed a war cry and shoved the mayor off the platform, teetering at the edge, he too fell off and landed on his teacher who mildly pushed him off.

Link panted hard, it took him an entire day just to beat Mayor Bo, how much better will he fare against the Gorons?

"You won't be able to beat the Gorons Link"

Link opened his eyes from where he lay tiredly on the ground. "Thanks for the encouragement mayor"

"I don't mean it like that boy; do you think we puny humans can match them in their power?"

"I guess not"

"Good, go ask Sora for the Iron boots, that is the key to winning. Wear the iron boots while you wrestle them as they are impossible to walk in, being heavy they root you to the ground. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"So if I wear the Iron boots I will be too heavy to move, they won't be able to push me around so easily….I can win"

Link got the gist of it. The fire was returning back to his eyes. Getting up he bowed and thanked the wrestler and went off in search of the Iron boots.

* * *

Standing behind Cor Goron's house Link put on his iron boots and steeled himself. His support team consisted of Zack, Aqua and curiously, Vanitas. Link was pretty sure Vanitas did not come here to give him an inspirational speech, but rather to see him tossed around like a ragdoll.

But at least he came; it's the thought that counts.

Upon entering the home, he was comforted when the Gorons didn't give him weird looks for walking like someone with a severe muscular disorder. Bo wasn't joking, those boots were damn heavy! With difficulty he managed to raise himself on the decorated platform and faced Cor Goron like a boss. This time he opted for keeping his clothes on. Bowing, they sized each other up and waited for the first step.

Link moved first, slamming into the Goron, he pushed him effortlessly to the edge of the platform. Thinking of an easy victory, Link was given an unpleasant surprise when the humanoid smacked his face so hard his ears rung. Now grabbing Link, the Goron began driving him backwards, the Hylian dug his boots into the ring and he slowed down considerably. Recovering from the hit, he clutched each of the Goron's hands and shoved him with all his might. Holding them weren't easy, they were rough and dug into Link's palms like sharp stones, but still he persisted, with his hands occupied, Link will not receive a slap in the face. Slowly but surely Cor Goron inched backwards; the youth in front of him was fiercely determined, his eyes wild, breath ragged, resolve burning him out. He knew this match was over and the boy was the victor. Toppling over the edge, he stepped down and gave a hearty laugh.

"Welcome to the house Brother" he said jovially, patting Link.

Unfortunately for Link, his face kissed the ground.

"Since you displayed the spirit of brotherhood, why not take some time off and soak in the hot springs? Goron city has the best mineral springs you will ever find, just take the elevator and it'll take you straight to the place." Cor Goron added.

Zack whooped, seizing Link's arm he attempted to drag Link, only for the poor guy to fall face down for the second time that day.

Hot springs thought Zack, were the best form of relaxation. Glancing at Link who had a dazed grin on his face, he knew that this was the first time he bathed in one. Hopefully Link won't fall asleep and drown. Inhaling the steam deeply he peeked at Link again only to find him missing and Vanitas in his place with eyes shut peacefully.

"Master Vanitas, where is Link?" Zack panicked.

Cracking one eye open Vanitas graced him with an answer: "Hmm, I don't keep track of commoners therefore I don't know"

Standing up in the water, he sloshed all the way to the edge, just as he hoisted himself on dry ground, Link surfaced from the middle of the spring.

Link's head whipped back when an angry and concerned Zack threw a fist sized rock at him.

* * *

"Did you enjoy the hot spring?"

"Yes sir," Zack saluted

"They why is there a bump on the 10th rank's forehead? Seems like he was hit by a rock."

"It's of no matter Master Sora, Zack was just looking out for me" Link beamed.

The prince looked at them dubiously.

"Fine, go take your seats; I have a new job to declare."

Vanitas, whose emotions mostly consisted of anger and its different shades, seethed. His perfect brother, after marrying a perfect princess never once visited their mansion to see how they were doing. Not that Vanitas cared; he was more worried about the twins. Sometimes he lay awake at night hearing them sniffle, but he couldn't comfort them. Just touching his baby brothers gave him intense physical pain.

Yes, he cannot stand light, it is the bane of his existence and also the reason why he hated his older brother.

But that is a story for another day.

Right now he directed a venomous glare at Sora, who regrettably for Vanitas, did not even notice.

"Everyone, the problem of the Gorons is of a delicate matter and needs confirmation from the princess and council members. However, I have found out that the Arbiter's grounds needs a good cleaning."

Zack sagged in his seat and moaned. It went along the lines of: "I hate cleaning temples"

The Arbiter's grounds were housed in the formerly flourishing domain of the Gerudo desert. It was an infamous prison that retained the most notorious criminals. As soon as the kingdom fell into ruin, the guards and wardens safeguarding the prison all fled, leaving the criminals to waste away and die. The temple is now in need of a severe dusting and the exorcism of vengeful spirits that inhabited it.

A ghostly silence permeated the room. All of the knights' except for the narrator, Sora, had their faces in various tints of pale.

Okay, the ghost story was not good for morale.

Seeking to boost it Sora decreed:

"The leader of this assignment will be Link" hearing this Link blanched even further "due to his sense of responsibility and the fact that he shows exponential leadership skills I considered him. Your objective Link, is to clean the temple and remove the spirits occupying it. You may take a team of five ranked knights' and you are to leave tomorrow after the daily meeting. I trust you will not disappoint me, I have very high hopes for you." Finishing his little pep talk, Sora gave him an encouraging smile.

"I will not fail you sir." Link's voice trembled.

"Good." He directed his gaze at Impa. "As for Impa and Vanitas, I have a different mission for you. Go to the Mysterious tower and meet Riku, thereafter, travel with him to Hollow Bastion and defeat Maleficent."

Upon hearing his name, Vanitas sat up lazily but did not comment or acknowledge his brother, his eyeballs ached from his failed venomous glare at Sora plan.

His work done Sora announced:

"Gathering dismissed, you may leave."

Rising up on shaky legs, the group dispersed.

* * *

AN: Good old Goron city with its hotsprings and rocky Gorons, though the sumo wrestling match was quite funny. Especially the split.


	9. Chapter 9: Unreal encounters

AN: I had fun writing this chapter. Once again read and review please and constructive criticism is appreciated.

Now for some shameless advertising: I wrote a one shot entitled Bitter Coffee, for those who are interested please take a look.

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ nor KH.

* * *

Chapter 9: Unreal encounters.

"You are not allowed to take them."

Meeting his gaze evenly Link countered: "I was made the leader of this expedition, I can take whomever I want, and I would like them to join me."

"Did it ever occur to you, you brainless peasant that my brother never allows them on a mission that he does not lead himself?"

"They tagged along on the trip to the Sacred Grove; I didn't see Master Sora heading it."

"Impa was there and Sora trusts her, you saw for yourself that he barred them from the Temple of Time even though I was leading it! And why do you want them with you so bad anyway? Trying to garner favor with us?"

"No, it's just that I happen to be happier around kids, reminds me of the children back home."

"Oh, I'm sure Talon, or whatever the heck his name is, can swing a key-blade like Ventus." Vanitas sneered.

Roxas and Ventus' heads swiveled back and forth between Link and Vanitas. Tension was thick in the knights' chamber today. As Link announced the members he'd be taking along with him, Vanitas had jumped up angrily and started arguing, Link, who turned out to be stubborn as well, quarreled back.

Now they were standing a few feet apart and having a glaring contest. Vanitas' gold irises flashed dangerously whilst Link was snarling.

Snarling like a beast.

The twins noted that ever since Link had turned into a wolf, he'd begun to display subtle animalistic characteristics. Like growling, sniffing the air (or maybe he was just inhaling deeply) and whenever he smiled (even though the gesture was kind) his incisors showed. Said incisors looked a little too long and sharper than normal. But despite all this Link was caring and gentle, sort of like their big brother Sora.

Their hearts ached at the thought of him. He never visits and was too preoccupied with his princely duties to even ask how they were doing.

Roxas snapped out of his thoughts first when he became aware of Vanitas holding Void-gear to Link's neck.

"Fine, you can take them, but if anything happens to those two, I will end you and drag you over to Sora so he can do the same as well." He threatened.

Link sighed, giving Vanitas a grateful look he promised to keep them safe.

Impa and Vanitas then disappeared into a black hole.

Looking at the twins, Link went closer to them and said: "Sorry for that, I really wanted you guys to come with, but if you don't want to I won't force you." He gave them a sheepish smile.

Roxas nodded, "Ventus and I will go, we can take care of ourselves."

"Right" interjected Zack "I got all our cleaning supplies here, lets hit the road."

* * *

Gazing up at the gates of the Arbiter's grounds, Link and the knights behind him were already exhausted. Since none of them could use dark corridors they were given a free ride up to the desert country. Afterwards they had to trek through the barren land on foot. Well not all of them, Ventus had transformed his key-blade into some sort of hovering skateboard, he and Roxas climbed on it and idly sped along, a few minutes later Aqua did the same, except that her one was metal bike type thing, she invited Sheikha to ride with her. In the end Link, Auru and Zack were the only ones walking. The shimmering heat tired them all out.

Sitting in the shade at the entrance of the temple, Link yelped as Sora stepped out from the darkness.

"You brought the twins, I do not appreciate that."

Link's grudging gratitude to Vanitas evaporated, leaving him spiteful and betrayed. The 3rd rank had to go and blab everything to Sora.

"I'm sorry to cause both you and Vanitas trouble, but I swear I will take care of them."

Sora's brow furrowed, "Vanitas?" he asked "what did he do"

"Wasn't Vanitas the one who told you that I took them?"

"No, Vanitas most certainly won't tell me what is going on, I simply know if anything goes awry or wrong with my brothers, keep that in mind."

'He's definitely telepathic' concluded Zack.

"Oh and Zack," said person flinched "You forgot the cleaning supplies"

Saying this he handed over a large black sack and vanished through the corridor.

* * *

Upon entering the temple, the knights' noticed one significant thing.

It was impossible to clean the temple since it was filled with sand and not the ordinary blown from the desert sand, this was quicksand, potentially lethal. Also, this quicksand was everywhere and a large whirlpool of it was right in front of them as if daring them to advance any further. Taking a broom from Zack, Link tried to sweep a bit of it off at the edge of the whirlpool; the broom stuck like glue and began sinking. Letting it go, the group watched forlornly as it sunk slowly into the ground. It reminded them of their fate, a slow painful death should you accidentally step on the soil.

Link turned to his team:

"Okay, the plan is, do not under any circumstances, touch that sand and watch out for monsters"

"And ghoul rats" Aqua added pointing to one on the far side of the room

"And that" Link agreed.

"So no cleaning?" Zack asked hopefully.

"There is a lot of dust, we can clean that."

Spying a tile submerged in the sand, Link jumped on it and the tile began sinking, reflexes kicking in action, Link reached the other side of the room with a series of hops on strategically placed platforms. Once he touched solid ground he was surprised to see his entire group with him.

"How did you guys get here?" he puzzled

"Roxas, Ventus and I air glided, Sheikha warped with Auru and Zack jumped the platforms like you, only he was much faster." Aqua explained.

Air gliding, teleportation, high jumping? Oh that was so unfair.

Ignoring the little bubble of jealousy building inside him, Link lead them further into a central area. Situated on the far end of the room was a high platform, on either side of the platform were four bronze (or gold) braziers, but there were no fires burning in them. Beyond the platform was a huge door, its entrance sealed with iron bars.

"We have to light those torches and the doorway will open" Link briefed.

"Yes but how? They are too high for any of us to reach, speaking of which shouldn't we clean them first? They look caked with dust." Zack spoke, arming himself with a broom he pressed forward only to have a materialized life sized specter complete with a sickle, screech in his face. He wordlessly dropped the broom, unsheathed his sword and slashed it, the weapon phased harmlessly through and clanged on the ground. Then he screamed.

"WHAT IS THAT THING!? For goodness sake, don't just stand there guys help me, it's gonna suck my soul out!"

Sheikha acted fast and threw a questionable piece of paper at the ghost, it did the trick since the paper ignited and consumed the specter in an inferno. Zack being too close had his eyebrows singed. Then leaping through the air, Sheikha brought a short blade down and pierced a purple pulsing soul that was left behind. On bursting, it released a cool blue sphere of light that drifted to one of the bronze lamps and lit it.

The rest of the knights' watched this amazing display dumbly.

"There are more of them in the vicinity, Auru, the twins, Aqua and I will take care of the other…apparitions, Link and Zack can clean the platform and the lanterns." Sheikha commanded with such natural authority everyone saluted and began their assigned tasks.

"I feel useless" Link complained as he swept the floor "why did we get cleaning duty?"

"Physical weapons don't work on them" Zack stood on his toes and tried to dust one of the bronze lamps, "Aqua and the others can all perform magic, I can use it as well but I prefer swinging around my sword"

"Auru's cannon?"

"It can shoot out beams of energy so yes it counts"

Link hung his head, as far as his Master sword was concerned, he could only execute deadly physical combos but not an ounce of magic.

An hour later, the twins returned to central area to see Link and Zack fast asleep on the spotless dais. Scowling Roxas stood over them.

"Can I poke them with my key-blade? We were fighting for our lives while our leader here is drooling"

Ventus grinned and folded his arms behind his head. "Let's wait for the others to return"

A while later a grumpy Link with a growing lump on his head walked them to another area full of ghoul rats, their incessant chattering made Link's head throb. Trying to ignore the pain, he did a spinning attack that accomplished nothing. Once the rats were dealt with they carried on in an organized routine, clear the rooms of monsters/ghosts/rats and then grab cleaning equipment and leave the chamber sparkling. The formation was going well till they met the ReDeads in a corridor studded with those nasty quicksand whirlpools. Link froze with fear when he saw one. The familiar tingling was taking over his body and he willed himself to stay human.

Roxas, the slightly more impulsive one of the duo, charged at the monster, with surprising speed for a zombie, it hefted its broad blade and struck, the blow caught Roxas and he sailed above the rest of the knights and hit his head on a far wall, knocked unconscious, he sunk straight into a eddy of quicksand. Ventus seeing this, abandoned all common sense and ran, shouting Roxas' name, jumping in, he grabbed his brother's half sunken waist and attempted to pull him out. However this only made both of them descend faster.

"Ventus NO!" Aqua and Link hollered simultaneously. But it was too late, he struggled feebly in the sand pit.

Mind whirling, Links pupils started focusing and blurring. Forcing himself to stay calm, he ran over and basically did the same thing Ventus did. Vaulting into the sand, he gripped both of the boys and felt a pair of arms clutching his midsection as well.

"We pull on three Link" Auru said "One, two and three."

Roxas opened his eyes and saw blue. Ventus' face was only a few inches from his, he knew his brother was worried but it does not mean that Ventus should disrespect personal space.

"Your face is a bit too close Ven" he croaked out.

Ventus ignored him and hugged him tight. Looking up at Link he thanked him stiffly and got a sympathetic smile in return.

* * *

Zack stared at the huge obsidian blade with red markings along its blunt edge and established that yes, his Buster sword was nothing compared to this. He glanced at Link, who for some reason was staring at the sword like it was going to kill him. The weapon was tied down by numerous ropes and seals. Suddenly he covered his ears as Link had started screaming and then howling, he had switched into a wolf, again.

The sacred beast's eyes were stuck to the figure in front of him. As a human, he could not perceive it but he sensed that something else was in the room. Skeletal hands gripped the hilt of the visible sword. Cloaked in black, two gnarled horns jutted out of from its skull and razor sharp teeth decorated its horrific face. Link could taste the foul hatred the specter harbored. Resentment, anger, pain all transformed the ghost into a gruesome monster.

Link's paws felt like lead, he wanted to give up and go home, fear paralyzed him, how can one fight an enemy they cannot see? He surmised those ropes kept the ghost bound. Removing them would mean releasing it.

Confidence wavering, he wondered why Sora even chose him to lead the mission.

Roxas spoke his eyes trained on the wolf: "I think Link is seeing something we cannot, an invisible apparition maybe? It appears as if he is extremely scared."

That statement broke him out of his trance. Glancing at Roxas and Ventus, an intense sensation of protectiveness washed over him and to the amazement of all, he morphed back into a surprised human.

"I'm not sure how that happened, but it did. More importantly, there is an ugly ghost wielding that sword and we need to get rid of it somehow. Cutting the ropes will set it free. And since I can only see it while I'm in wolf form, I'll be in that corner trying to transform back, while the rest of you keep it at bay. Please keep that blade away from me; I need all the concentration I can get."

'I'm not sure if I can turn back willingly' he whispered to himself.

"Don't worry Link, you can do it" Zack gave him a smile and they scattered.

Roxas severed the ropes and jumped back. Slowly the sword rose and spun by itself in midair. Then it came down on Roxas who was the closest victim, before it could cleave him in half, Ventus burst out overhead and parried the Deathsword with his hovering skateboard. It was awesome and all till he lost his balance from the rough impact and fell.

"Aqua, catch me" he yelled.

Enclosing him in a protective barrier, Ventus floated safely to the ground. Directing her attention back to the enemy she activated magic hour and dove at it relentlessly, it did not even get a scratch. Auru shot magic, projectiles and magical projectiles at it and the sword staggered back. Ventus then covered it with a vicious tornado. Once the winds cleared, the boy triggered his Wingblade command and faster than anyone thought possible, attacked the evil blade with a series of strikes, slashes and strokes that were so swift, they blurred into each other, not to be outdone, his twin brother joined him and spammed magic from above.

Their perfect synchronization was disturbed when the blade swung wildly, striking Ventus, it shot him straight to where Link was meditating, but Ven recovered quickly and touched the ground.

"It's not working" he panted.

He heard wolf link growl softly behind him. Streaking past, the beast launched itself and snapped its jaws at…air.

"Is he…" Auru's voice died in his throat.

Turns out that Link was biting the invisible ghost he was talking about. It was the stuff of nightmares actually. Once the monster shimmered into the visible spectrum, the rest of the knights' were so appalled that they forgot to assault it.

"Don't just stand there, ATTACK!" Zack rallied the troops.

And the chamber erupted into a war zone.

* * *

"So you can transform willingly now?" Zack enquired.

"Not really, but if I concentrate really hard, I can, I think" Link uttered while examining the spinner, "what does this thing do anyway?"

Auru came forward to scrutinize the ancient artifact. "It's some sort of device that is used to spin gears, but I think you can travel with it as well, like Master Ventus' hovering skateboard."

Fossil gear vs. floating skateboard? It's obvious who will win.

"So it's a Spinner, how do you ride this?" Zack asked.

"Using grooves set in walls, see the teeth on the rim? It hooks into the wall grooves and propels itself." Auru informed them.

"Looks neat, let me try it out"

Link set the spinner in one of the conveniently placed indentations, hopping on the device, he whooped in delight as he rode his personal rollercoaster all the way to the boss' room.

The rest of the knights' watched him go.

"He's not coming back for us is he?" The twins questioned together.

Eyeing the padlock, Link did the sensible thing and waited patiently for his comrades, since he had nothing to do, he smashed some pottery and set to work cleaning up the chamber. About two hours later, the rest of the team arrived. Having neglected them, he went and apologized and was duly forgiven.

Having Aqua unlock the door, they all moved into the boss chamber. In the middle of a giant sand pit lay a huge skeleton, it roared and began stirring as it sensed the knights.

"Okay, someone please tell me that thing will stay in one place, I had enough ghosts and skeletons in my face for a lifetime" Zack gibbered.

"Link, there is a track around the ditch use your spinner on it." Sheikha advised.

Link's eyes focused on Stallord's immersed spine and he gave a wolfish grin.

"Auru, keep the fossil busy, I'll use the Spinner and break its spine."

After Stallord crumbled, its head disappeared and the trench was mysteriously emptied of sand to reveal a gear set in the middle of it. Using the spinner on the gear caused a huge platform to rise with a singular groove winding around it. When they saw the disembodied head of Stallord speeding towards them, the knights wisely dispersed except for Link who was a bit occupied with taking the Spinner out, due to his carelessness he was knocked to the ground while clutching his new favorite mechanism. Getting up, he glared at the detached skull that was now powering up an ominous purple energy ball, hoisting the spinner; Link huffed and angrily threw the heavy contraption at the skull. It struck true to its target and the remnant vanished for good.

Dusting his hands, Link declared:

"Arbiter's grounds, cleaned and cleared!"

* * *

Vanitas and Riku eyed each other.

"Just to make things clear, I can take care of that useless fairy by myself, but since the almighty Sora decreed I should take you, I now have to do that." Vanitas delivered scathingly.

Riku remained unfazed, he was used to Vanitas' antics but he knew deep down he cared. Aquamarine eyes glittering in amusement he added:

"Fine, I'll just stand outside Hollow Bastion and wait till you get back"

Vanitas smirked "We have a deal"

* * *

AN: I can picture Link sulking because he can't use magic. For me magic trumps physical combat any day, if I can, I get rid of enemies by spamming magic.


	10. Chapter 10: Something different

AN: Chapter 10 is up. Read and review guys.

Disclaimer: I doth not owneth the Kingdom hearts and Legend of Zelda franchises.

* * *

Chapter 10: Something different, something new.

The interior of Hollow Bastion was infested with monsters of all kinds, Vanitas' grin inched wider as he spied a skullatula dangling from a thread. Lifting Void gear, he was about to power up a dark inferno but Riku stopped him.

"Wait Vanitas, there shouldn't be creatures from Hyrule here; there is something off about this."

"I don't care, since they're all going to die anyway, stand outside and let me do my job!" an annoyed Vanitas replied.

"No, I'm coming with you, I need to investigate and report this matter back to Yen Sid" Riku informed him.

Vanitas agreed.

Since the stare Riku gave him left no room for argument and Soul eater did not look too friendly, plus Riku was like Sora.

In other words, strong enough to leave him in a coma for a few days but unlike Sora he was not shy about doing it.

Finally powering up the blaze, Vanitas let it loose into the room and watched the world burn. Smirking, he tore into the horde with brutal glee. All Riku could see was a whirlwind of black and red carving a path of destruction. At times he wondered how on earth he ended up so different from his brothers. Probably because of the influence of darkness, Vanitas should be rewarded for not giving in and joining the other side. Shrugging Riku also set to work, getting rid of heartless and deku babas.

"That was extremely boring" Vanitas declared once they completely cleared Hollow Bastion.

Riku's eyebrows were furrowed in deep thought. He knew the multitudes of monsters were set as a distraction, but where was Maleficent? Both he and Vanitas searched the place high and low but there was no sign of the corrupted fay, her signature dark energy seemed to have faded into oblivion.

Gliding silently, Maleficent regarded her two opponents. She mused that the silver haired one was the bigger problem and the other male, now he was interesting; he boarded upon a fine line between giving into the darkness inside him and desperately holding on to the light that hurt him. Deciding to manipulate the youth's mind into joining her she made her presence known. Unfortunately for her, the plan backfired as soon Vanitas spun around and eyed her with such malice it put her to shame.

Unheeding Riku's warnings, Vanitas launched himself at the fairy and brought Void gear down in strike; to the immense surprise of Riku and Vanitas, she managed to stop the key-blade with her bare hands. Also the key-blade had failed to injure her. Smiling gracefully (or as graceful as an evil fairy can be) at Vanitas she offered him a proposition:

"Join me lad and we can get rid of all the light in this world and all other worlds, you won't have to be harmed anymore. The world will be a safe haven for us, we will not live under the tyranny of light."

Vanitas faltered.

"Don't lis-" Riku began.

"Shut up you, useless pawn" He jeered "you think I'm going to sit, listen and become your loyal dog just because you asked me nicely? Get real, I'm going to finish you off so Sora can take those annoying twins off my back. Besides I heard your recycled speech from some old man who was ended off years ago."

If possible, Maleficent look regretful. "I see, well then this is goodbye"

Riku shuddered, that sounded something a lover would say.

With outstanding strength, the fairy clutched Vanitas' throat and began strangling him with one hand. Seeing Riku leaping up to help him, she summoned several heartless to keep him busy. Gazing at her victim's face, she felt a sadistic satisfaction at his contorted expression as he gasped for air. Sora, who valued his family and friends above his own life, will be able to feel exactly how she felt after he defeated her and took everything that mattered away. Ridiculed, master less and reduced to nothing she often wished to die.

Letting Vanitas go, she watched him crumple listlessly to the ground and was about to depart when Vanitas started chuckling and rasping from his position on the floor. Supporting himself with his key-blade he got up slowly and raised his face, the expression on it was absolutely maniacal.

"You…are…pathetic" he managed in between gulps of air.

Maleficent shot back: "For someone who can hardly stand, you speak rather haughtily."

"We'll see who's the one standing after I'm done with you"

Saying this he lunged and disappeared right in front of Maleficent, materializing behind her he sliced her and then teleported away someplace else before the fay could turn around. Running around her in a circle, Vanitas stopped abruptly, holding his key-blade in front him and sporting a crazy grin he charged at her ceaselessly. Maleficent for her part did not do a thing. She absorbed the attacks like a sponge and kept an eye on Riku, spawning monsters every time he killed them off. Directing her attention back to her opponent, she realized that he had vanished once again and was no doubt coming from the back. His attack pattern was easy to read; now all she had to do was dodge his most lethal assaults and tire both of them out.

Riku's vision was obscured by black. Once it cleared, the enemies before him were all gone and standing in their place was a disgruntled Vanitas.

"I can't seem to damage her, she's absorbing my attacks" Vanitas informed Riku.

"So…you're admitting you need help?" Riku teased.

"Stop jibing, or I'll shave you bald, you won't have any fans to fawn over your stupid hair any longer"

"How does Sora keep up with you?" the key-blade master sighed.

But youth was already gone.

Switching key-blades, Riku examined Way to dawn; feeling satisfied with its weight and firm grip, he set his sight on the duel between Vanitas and Maleficent on the platform above him. Sora's brother was acting as decoy. Formulating a plan that consisted of dodging and killing, he leapt up and joined the fray.

And immediately regretted his decision.

For someone whose strikes were not working, Vanitas seemed pretty passionate to bring the fairy down. His fighting style was now erratic and most probably had little consideration for friend or foe. Riku took a step back as Void gear whizzed past his face and then ducked as the blade came hurtling back to its owner. Then he had to side-step because Vanitas now hurled dark firagas in seemingly random directions, as none of them hit Maleficent. Now growing irritated, he weaved himself amidst a vortex of chaotic attacks and swept the fairy's head cleanly off, all this occurred so suddenly that when Vanitas looked into her lifeless face. He only saw a bewildered expression.

"You are absolutely ruthless" Vanitas commented.

Dismissing his key-blade with an utterly calm expression Riku stared at the dissolving form of the fay.

"Darkness is necessary Vanitas" he said "don't ever forget that. And our work here is done, so let's head back; do you want to visit your mom before you return to Hyrule?"

"….No"

"Fine, then to the Mysterious Tower we go"

"I don't want t-" began Vanitas but was duly ignored.

* * *

Link was having the time of his life. Sora wasn't present this morning for the meeting and Vanitas and Impa was still busy with the assignment Sora gave them. So having nothing to do, the knights went their separate ways. Currently, Link was in the palace courtyard practicing on the Spinner. To the twins beholding him from a distance, it looked like he was having way too much entertainment.

"I still didn't thank him for saving me" Roxas pointed out.

Ventus was too engrossed in watching Link ride his Spinner to pay any attention to him. Eyes sparkling with mirth he spoke:

"Say Roxas, why don't we go make friends with him? He seems like a really nice guy; and I can ask him for a turn on that thing."

Roxas was not pleased "Ventus no, we have an appearance to keep up, as much as it sucks we cannot….why am I speaking to myself?"

Giving up, he trudged forward to his brother, who stood in the middle of the enclosure and was shouting out Link's name. If big brother Sora saw this, he'd have a heart attack or a stroke.

Or both.

Link was marginally aware of someone calling for him. Disregarding the calls he focused on steering the gear in a complicated turn and then jumped from one wall to another in a fluid motion. Fortunately this also caused him to get a good look at the person who was yelling out his name. Nearly toppling off his Spinner due to shock, he jumped down, strode to them as quickly and dignifiedly as possible and knelt.

"I'm sorry for not coming earlier, I couldn't hear over the grating noise of my Spinner"

"First of all stand up, we don't really care about that, secondly, I…uh..didn't get to thank you for saving me in Arbiter's Grounds, so thank you. Thirdly, can we be friends?" Roxas rattled off with a slightly sheepish expression.

Link blinked slowly. "But I'm a commoner" he pronounced. The behavior of the twins was making him uncomfortable, they, who never spared him a glance, wanted to be friends with him.

"We don't really care about status and stuff, it's just a front we have to keep up because of big brother and his rank as an upper class noble. When no-one is around he is a bit like you Link. Kind and friendly to everyone." Saying this Ventus flashed him the cutest grin Link had ever seen.

"So you all remain aloof because you have to, not because you want to?" Link clarified

"YES!" the twins beamed.

"Vanitas too? His personality is a façade?"

"Um no, Vanitas was a prick right from the beginning but we still love him" Ventus replied.

"Don't breath a word about this to either of our big brothers, they will either expel or kill you depending on who. We're not allowed to do anything by ourselves, Sora sees to that religiously. It sounds cruel but its for our own good. We don't normally approach anyone but seeing that Sora never comes home anymore, it's a bit lonely." Roxas added bitterly.

Link got up and smiled "Don't worry, I promise not to tell. You can come to me anytime you like. And hopefully one day I can take you to my village in Ordona province, it's very different from Castle town, would you like to visit?"

They nodded vigorously.

Link chortled.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Ventus blurted out:

"Can I ride your spinner?"

About half an hour later, Link was having trouble balancing the twins on him. Ventus sat on his shoulders whilst Roxas clung on his back. Swaying on the Spinner, the twins threw all caution away as they whooped, cheered and teetered dangerously. Poor Link grasped Roxas tighter with one hand and stretched his other arm out to secure the younger twin. Relaxing his rigid stance slightly he let himself enjoy the rollercoaster jaunt. Hitting against a bumpy track, the device shot out and they cruised through the air. Complimentary to Link's panic attack, the twins shrieked in delight. Once the spinner skidded to a halt in a patch of grass, the three fell in a heap. Shooting up, Link immediately checked the laughing duo for any wounds or bruises, and was reassured significantly when he realized that they were perfectly okay.

Ventus sat up "That was cool! Let's do it again"

Roxas wholeheartedly approved.

And so, the trio spent a greater part of the day having fun.

* * *

As Vanitas arrived at the Mysterious Tower, he received a faceful of Impa. Despite the fact that they were more or less the same height, she seemed to tower over him.

"I do not appreciate being left alone while you go lollygagging Vanitas" she began. "Sora gave me a responsibility and I intend to carry it out fully"

"I was not lolly-whatevering, you can ask Riku over there, I finished my job. Maleficent is dead so my brother is probably going to lose his perfect wife pretty soon. We can all celebrate" he deadpanned.

"Care to elaborate what happened?" Impa questioned.

"There was a gala and everyone was invited, that includes monsters from Hyrule as well. I couldn't lay a scratch on that obnoxious fairy so Riku finished her off. End of story."

"You couldn't lay a scratch on her?"

"…I think you should get your priorities straight Impa, the more pressing matter here would be the presence of Hyrulian beasts in our world. The last time I checked this is not normal." Riku stepped in.

Impa had to concur that Riku had a point.

"I'll report all of this to master Sora, hopefully we can remedy this situation." Saying this Impa concluded the conversation.

* * *

"She expires; won't this put a dent in your magnificent plan?"

"You need to start seeing things deeper than the coffee colored skin of yours, but it is not your fault, you are hardwired to accomplish your goals through sheer power. I have a few tasks for you"

"I do no one's bidding" the man growled.

A sickly laughter echoed through the room.

"Oh but you have to do it, to get rid of that one fatal flaw of yours. It is preposterous to think that you failed to get rid of a _child_."

"He was blessed"

A crooked grin began forming on the elder's face

"And so are you."

* * *

AN: I think Riku and Vanitas make good fighting partners. The one going all battle-crazy whilst the other has to constantly tither him to a leash.

PS: It was fun writing this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11: Desperate Hours

AN: I present to you chapter 11 and I am really desperate for reviews, so please read and review.

BTW, is it Hylian or Hyrulian? I might've used these interchangeably, gotta go check on my previous chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom hearts. Also, Programming sucks.

* * *

Chapter 11: Desperate hours

"Zelda, your food is getting cold"

The princess' cheeks tinted pink as Sora spared her a glance. They sat together for breakfast, so far Sora had polished off his plate a few minutes ago whilst Zelda regarded him in a daze and was possibly not even aware of the plate in front of her. When he spoke, she finally picked up her fork and stirred the scrambled eggs while peeking at her husband through her lashes. The chair made a scraping sound as he got up and she looked up in alarm.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, I have a briefing with the knights, don't worry, I'll be back as soon as possible" he offered with a strained smile.

* * *

"Roxas was thrown in a pit of quicksand, Ventus tried to pull him out and got stuck and you saved them?"

Link, terrified and positive that the information the twins fed him about Sora being a kind and thoughtful brother was all a lie whispered:

"Yes sir"

No righteous person in their sane mind could appear that murderous, he made Vanitas look tame.

All of a sudden his expression allayed.

"You make a very good leader Link, Arbiter's grounds is a treacherous temple, to make it out without any casualties…it's a feat few can boast about; and thank you for saving my brothers" the leader gave a polite smile.

Link's ego inflated to epic proportions, he'd just been complimented by the most respected member of the Knights, it was enough to make his soul soar. So far, the past few days were going great. Around the table, he received warm grins, thumbs ups and a wink courtesy of Ashei.

"Impa, Vanitas, I want your progress report."

Impa did the honors:

"Maleficent is dead, Riku made sure; also there are Hylian monsters present in your dimension."

Quick and straight to the point, unfortunately for Sora, he was so elated at the first bit of news, he didn't hear the second part due to the victory song playing in his head.

He was free.

Suppressing the urge to scream in happiness he got up and hastily declared:

"I need to relay this information to the princess, since all of you did such good work, you are hereby dismissed."

He then turned heel and disappeared.

Vanitas huffed and sank lower in his seat. The pained scowl on his face went unnoticed by few.

* * *

Even before he entered the throne room Sora was certain that the princess was still bewitched. She gazed at him with glazed eyes, completely ignoring everything around her. His earlier elation had been replaced by unfathomable depression. Apparently the curse the dark fairy put on him had another source; thinking about it, it made much more sense. On his visit to Hallow Bastion, Maleficent had absolutely no power left. Swallowing thickly he tried to shove these thoughts elsewhere but they kept popping up. He was back to square one, miserable and with no idea how to turn Zelda back to normal.

His thoughts must have shown on his visage because his wife was right in front of him, cupping his in gloved hands and her expression showed worry.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"No" he murmured "I need to sleep and wake up to find out that all of this was one gigantic nightmare."

Saying this, he pulled Zelda's hands of his cheeks and left.

* * *

Vanitas was in a pinch. He really wanted to see Sora but on the other hand, it would make him seem like a clingy little brother. Sighing, he pushed open the door to his sibling's new study and was graced with a view of the prince trying to burn a mountain of paper with his eyes. Sora briefly scanned Vanitas as he crossed the threshold and went back to glaring at the documents. Reaching one, he took a glimpse at it, signed it and threw it in a different pile. This continued for five whole minutes till the black-haired adolescent lost his patience.

"Are you gonna ignore me or actually ask why I'm here?" He bellowed.

"Not now Vanitas, as you can see, I am busy" the older male did not even make eye contact.

Drawing Void gear Vanitas slashed the desk in half. Important papers and documents bearing royal crests and signatures were charred to tiny bits. Sora watched his hard work go up in black flames.

It took a lot to make him angry, but now Sora was enraged.

Materializing Kingdom key, He blasted a blizagga that obliterated an entire wall. Seeing his chance Vanitas took the bout outside, what he was doing was suicidal, however his brain was far too pumped up for a fight to consider the consequences. Right now, he needed to teach big brother a lesson.

"Vanitas I'm warning you, go home and leave me alone."

"Nope" he taunted "I'll leave after I give you a few broken bones and wounds so you can enjoy the attention your pretty wife heaps on you. I'm sure you'd just love it when she nurses you back to health. I heard chicken soup is good for those who are convalescing."

That did it.

Thunder rumbled overhead and a torrent of it came down on Vanitas who barely dodged. Teleporting behind him, he attempted to strike Sora's back, but his opponent spun around and parried so hard, Vanitas skidded back. Jumping up, Sora brought his blade down and was blocked, Vanitas' arms protested as Void gear inched slowly closer to his face. Letting his arms drop he caught Sora unawares and drove his fist into his brother's jaw. Clutching his jaw in pain, Sora sprang back a respectable distance. Vanitas activated his Ghost drive and materialized his body suit and helmet. The real fight began now.

Charging first with chaos blade, Vanitas got in a few good hits while Sora was momentarily blinded. His triumph was short lived upon spying three glowing keys homing on to him. Breaking out in a cold sweat he knew that his brother had just called on his judgment triad attack and if even one of those keys hit him, he'd be out for days. Vanitas teleported out of the way as one of them sped past. As he tried to run from another one, he was violently jerked upwards by a magnega. Focusing on defense, he felt the third key crash into his abdomen. Soaring through a dark corridor that Sora conveniently created his landed painfully outside the southern gates of Castle town. His helmet cracked and he curled up in agony.

"Oh boy, a giant millipede" rang out a voice.

The second son of the House of Kingdom in all his humiliating glory ignored her.

"Are you feeling okay sir?" The voice sounded like it was coming closer. In response Vanitas curled up tighter and prayed that the female would go away.

Alas luck was not on his side today.

"Oohh" she squealed "you _do_ look like a giant millipede, all wound up tight and comfy, maybe I should take you home with me."

The brunette got up slowly, one hand still on his bruised abdomen and glared at her with all the hate he could muster; but it was hard to look menacing with your face obscured with a cracked helmet and you're clearly in pain. The knight must've figured out that his death stare was not working as he took off his domed helmet and opted to look irritably at her.

She had lovely eyes, deep amethyst pools swirling with loneliness. He stared into them subtly hypnotized. They seemed to reflect his entire life back at him.

"Would you like some tea sir?"

The mesmerizing silence broke

"No" he harshly replied "and get away from me, clearly you don't know who I am do you? Most people run in the opposite direction the moment they see me."

She tilted her head to the side.

"Yes I know who you are Master Vanitas. And why would people run away from you, you are so handsome"

He gaped; this girl does not know fear, besides, who on earth was she anyway?

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The blonde haired girl got up and performed a curtsey. "My name is Agitha and I am the princess of the bug kingdom" she announced.

The idea of a princess of bugs was so absurd it made the wielder of Void gear cringe, deciding to ignore her, he twisted himself the other way and sat hunched, his back facing Agitha.

Agitha was unrelenting. Bringing out a flask from her picnic basket (which was crawling with bugs) she poured a cup of tea. Then she walked over to Vanitas and shoved the cup in his hand.

"Please drink this, it will make the ache better" her voice had a childish lilt.

Accepting the infusion, he drank it wordlessly taking a few sips at a time. It was a weird sensation, drinking tea with a total stranger while she babbled on about bugs, plants and stuff Vanitas could care less about. The warm drink was making him feel slightly light headed and the pain ebbed away. After handing the cup back to her, he got up, stretched and winced. He'd need a curaga to completely heal him.

The self-titled bug princess got up with him. Noticing the wince she fixed her riveting eyes on him and asked:

"Will you be okay now?"

"Yes…and thank you for the tea"

Somewhere in the world, something died.

Beaming at him she further prodded.

"Will you come again mister Vanitas?"

"Heck no, I've got more important things to do than sitting and drinking tea." He snapped.

"Oh" she said in a small voice.

Vanitas made the mistake of glimpsing at her. Those amethyst pools were downcast and filled with so much aloneness it stung him. He for one knew exactly how solitude felt, when Sora left Destiny Islands on his epic adventure Vanitas was so devastated he sat for hours alone on the beach and cried, somehow he believed that Sora would come back and fetch him, regrettably it took his big brother four whole years to return, by that time the second born had turned into the person he is now.

"Fine" he gave in "but just once more and if anyone finds out about this I'll…" he eyed her jar of trapped fireflies "I'll smash your little bug kingdom, am I clear?"

Instead of looking intimidated she giggled

"Yes I understand; we can have a picnic next, do you like strawberry tarts mister Vanitas?"

* * *

Sora's shoulders were heavy with remorse. No doubt Vanitas would be suffering terribly and there was nothing he could do to salvage the ruined remains of his work, they were now a pile of cinders. Feeling himself crack at everything going wrong, he opened a dark passage and passed through it.

The beaches on Destiny Island were beautiful. Sora stood with his shoes half submerged in the water and gazed out to the horizon. Feeling a presence nearby he whipped around quickly, senses on high alert.

"You...cut your hair?" He babbled.

"Yes, Vanitas threatened to shave me bald, so I trimmed it. More importantly you look like you're holding the weight of the sky, did the curse not break?"

"No" Sora added sullenly "I'm still Zelda's husband and she's still my blushing bride"

"I see, say, do you want to pop in to the different worlds with me and check them out for the source of your curse?" Riku inquired, despite the fact that King Mickey warned him not to go off anywhere without permission. He wanted to cheer up Sora even if it meant bending the rules.

His friend lit up "Yep, thanks for the suggestion Riku, I never even thought about it, let's go!"

At times, Riku wondered how Sora managed to lead the Master Knights.

They stopped at Traverse town first but there was no sign of darkness, however Sora was bombarded by Yuffie's questions on his marriage and princely duties. A while later Leon and Cid joined them with Aerith bringing dubious refreshments. They sat around a table whilst Sora related stories of his knights and their quirks. The sight of old friends managed to lift his spirits a little. Once done, he then suggested they go pop in Agrabah. After feasting at the palace with princess Jasmine and her father, he explored the streets and desert ruins. When he spotted Aladdin, Sora determined to go for a magic carpet ride with him and his chattering monkey, the stress melted away and the prince's face seemed to look much younger.

"Now we go to Olympus Coliseum, let's see how Hercules and Phil are doing." The prince of Hyrule hopped happily.

Olympus Coliseum was the same as ever, minus Hades, the god of the underworld of course. They found Phil shouting about some tournament or match or whatever. The Olympic hero was no-where to be seen. Probably cleaning restrooms or doing some other menial job.

Again.

"Hello Phil" Sora greeted genially "and where is Hercules?"

"Kid, I've no time too…whoa, kid you've grown, when was the last time I saw you?"

Sora flashed him a boyish grin. "Three years ago Phil, jeez did you forget about me that easily?"

"No, never, it's just that you look different from the pipsqueak I met all those years ago."

"He's a prince now; of course he'd be different" Riku cut in with a smirk.

Phil's face turned red "SAY WHAT!?"

Hercules came back from his routine duties to witness Sora, Riku and Phil in a shouting and arm-waving match. He smiled. It was really good to meet old comrades again. Thinking of a reconciling spar, he joined them.

Riku groaned inwardly. If those two did not end their little scuffle right now, Sora would go back to Hyrule as a clueless, depressed individual. Stepping in, he called a draw to their match. Unluckily for him, Sora thought this meant that they were now going to visit Winnie the Pooh.

"Listen" Riku began but was cut off when his communicating device beeped. Scooting away from the group, he answered the call. It was from Mickey. The transmission basically consisted of the King requesting Riku's presence at Disney Castle, there was trouble brewing and they needed help.

"Was that King Mickey?" Sora quizzed "you could've let me talk to him"

Gripping Sora's shoulders tightly Riku said:

"Sora listen, I can't come with you anymore because Mickey called me, you have to go to either The world that never was or the End of the world. In fact, start at the End of the world; I'm sure you'll find vital clues. We'll go adventuring together once princess Zelda is back to normal alright?"

The prince nodded numbly.

"Alright, I'll do that and wish me luck guys" With a wave to the little assembly he vanished.

"I think I might've just put him back to his blue mode" Riku mumbled.

Sora really disliked the End of the world. It was literally the end of everything, the end of his adventures and dreams, the end of light, situated on the edge of nothingness, the universe consisted of a deep black-purplish haze with platforms and a central area with links to other domains. A dark hub of sorts, the perfect place to plan the destruction of the world. Sora had only been here once, after defeating the ringleader of darkness, Master Xehanort, the surrounding realms had returned to peace, but now evil was rising once more.

Summoning his key-blade he walked into the central platform and nearly dropped his weapon. Wearing an ankle length black hooded coat, stood an old man with a crooked smile, his aged face showed nothing but spite, golden eyes glittering maliciously.

"You…I've defeated you before, how are you alive?" Sora hefted Kingdom key

The man gave an unpleasant laugh before he answered.

"I'm alive but barely _Prince_ " he jeered "as you know, this frail body of mine is capable of almost nothing"

Despite being completely clueless at times, Sora knew who the holder of the curse was.

"So it was you, I guess it makes things much easier for me, I'll defeat you here and everything will go to the way it was." Saying this the first knight rushed towards the old man.

The twisted smile on Xehanort's face waned.

* * *

AN: Ugh, I could've done a better job, curse you Xehanort. Once the old man shows up, everything goes downhill. Why Terra WHY?


	12. Chapter 12: Leader of the Knights

AN: Heh, this chapter, this is where it all ends...or not. This is where it all begins mwahahahaha!

Please review, even if its to drop a line like: Oh my goodness, this story is giving me cancer! It'll totally cheer me up. Honest

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ or KH. Sora's hair would never be the same, I mean how does that guy keep his hair like that?

* * *

Chapter 12: Leader of the Master Knights

The princess of Hyrule got up as she noticed a dark portal opening in the throne room, descending from the raised platform she saw Sora emerge from the corridor. He must've been reading and taking some tips from those horrible fashion magazines that people found trendy these days because his hair was dyed to a gleaming silver color.

After the corridor closed behind him, the first knight looked at Zelda and spread his arms in an embracing gesture.

"Did your miss your husband?" he asked.

Zelda frowned subtly.

"I'm unmarried" she replied curtly "and please refrain from making such appalling jokes Master Sora, they do not suit you."

The prince laughed wickedly, his golden irises alight with mirth. The entire chamber echoed.

At this holder of the triforce of wisdom knew that the first knight, against all odds, was possessed.

When his chuckles abated he moved closer to her, bringing up one hand, he caressed her cheek with mock tenderness, with the other, he hugged her waist and muttered to himself:

"Hmm, you are both resourceful and beautiful, I suppose I should keep you as a puppet, Hyrule will crumble faster if their precious princess is the one destroying it. Don't you agree _Zelda_?"

If Soranort was waiting for a reaction he was severely disappointed because Zelda did not even look grossed out.

He regarded her for a few more minutes, brushing his fingers once more across her face; he turned around and carried on with his soliloquy.

"It feels good to be young again, with this strength I can finally bring the tyranny of light to its end. Light. Hmpf, all everyone cares about is light; they forget that darkness is equally important. Yes, one may argue that we need a balance, but there is no such balance for darkness, it is always shunned, feared, despised. That is why I made it my life's mission to subdue light and plunge this world and all other realms into darkness."

Princess Zelda had no desire to neither listen to the man's ranting nor argue with his somewhat perverse logic. Silently drawing her bow, she fitted an arrow and fired it at Sora's back whilst he was busy with his dramatic speech and arm gestures. The arrow flew straight and struck the far wall of the room. Gasping painfully, she peered down and saw his key-blade, the silver now turned to an ominous black, protruding from her abdomen. The pain made her legs give out, smoothly removing the blade; he cradled her and then picked her up and walked slowly towards the throne. Gently placing her down on the seat he grinned viciously.

"You can bleed out and die on your coveted throne princess; sadly, my knights are waiting for me to lead them. I won't be here to witness your demise but be assured, I will be thinking about you"

Saying this, he stretched and began lazily strolling to the exit.

* * *

The Knights' table was missing two members today, the leader, which was absolutely normal and Vanitas, which was abnormal. But no one seemed to care the slightest bit. Rowdy amusement reverberated around the room. Even Impa had a smile gracing her face. Zack and Link were acting out scenes from their adventures in the Arbiter's ground and so far the audience was eating every exaggerated scenario up.

"And then an ugly zombie struck Roxas with a weapon so broad, it looked like my Buster sword, poor Roxas was flung to the far corner of the room and he was knocked out, his tongue lolled out like this" Zack dramatized.

The table erupted with fresh chuckles, with Ashei banging on the table. Roxas was slightly miffed at being the one made fun of but both he and Ventus' lips were curved into wide beams.

If Sora or Vanitas were present, Zack would not have been this courageous. If he managed to act out a scene, he'd be duly executed on the spot for insulting a member of the House of Kingdom

"Hey, hey, Link, do the one about Zack screaming while he saw the ghost in the first chamber." Choked out Ashei.

Link rubbed his hands, to tell the truth, his buddy Zack was far better, well no use in backing down now.

"Zack was all pumped up for cleaning the temple so he grabbed a broom " Link grabbed a pole from somewhere and clutched it to his chest "with a determined look he set off for the bronze lamps like a soldier" a few snorts were heard at this "and when he made it about half way to the room a life sized ghost materialized in his face, instead of screaming, our brave ninth rank phased his sword through it, and then screeched like a girl." Link, to the amazement of all present, squealed in a perfect imitation a frightened girl.

Needless to say, Zack started rolling on the floor, with Ashei. Aqua had tears coming out of her eyes while she tried to preserve some dignity. The twins now hid underneath the table, but were no doubt laughing like crazy. Auru chortled wholeheartedly his chest heaving and head thrown back.

"Oh my god Link, I did not scream like that, and where did you learn to do that?" Zack quizzed.

"I had lots of practice after my eardrums were repeatedly ruptured by Beth" he shrugged "she found almost everything a bit frightening."

"It's my turn to make you into an idiot Link" Zack declared.

"Please not the wolf part, because that was seriously not funny" Link requested.

"No, not that. Jeez, I'm gonna do the part where you fall off the platform because you were too busy with trying to take out your Spinner."

"Fine by me"

So Zack began:

"Esteemed Link single handedly defeated a grotesque skull and raised a huge platform after the sand cleared. Tragically for him, he was so preoccupied with taking his favorite toy out, which was stuck in the grooves by the way, that he, with his special wolfish senses" Link flapped in the background "did not notice coming, so we all got outta the way and the skele-head went bam and bashed Link to the ground where he flailed helplessly."

He imitated a fish.

"But wait there's more. Deciding to go on a manly skeleton to man match, Link drew out his Master sword and executed an immortal draw a-"

"It's called a mortal draw" cut in the Hylian.

"Yeah, the mortal draw and it did nothing. Frustrated at his lack of awesome weapons like my Buster sword; poor Link had no choice but to sadly throw his Spinner at the floating skull, in a million to one chance, it hit, the thing died and we all cheered. The end"

He then bowed to his audience whom were incapacitated with amusement.

Impa abruptly stood up and all merrymaking came to an immediate halt. On the far end of the table Link's face had turned grave and the triforce symbol on the back of the hand had begun glowing.

"The princess…she is in trouble" he reported.

"Everyone, to the throne room" Impa commanded "NOW!"

* * *

Soranort was almost near the exit when dark corridor opened up in midair. Flying out of it came Vanitas, his countenance set in an expression of fury. Slamming into Sora, he set him skidding, sliding and bashing his head into a far wall.

"Get out of my brother you freak" Vanitas roared. Raising Void gear, he struck Soranort's head for good measure.

The golden eyed man just snickered.

"My you have grown haven't you Vanitas? But this is no way to treat your brother, you ungrateful little-"

His sentence was cut off once Vanitas kicked his him in the chest, hoisting his key-blade for a brutal stab, he was taken off guard as Sora flicked his finger and Vanitas went soaring to the opposite side of the chamber.

Zelda watched all of this while barely conscious.

The moment Vanitas succeeded to lift himself up from crash landing, Sora flashed in front of him and was about to deliver a knockout punch when someone smashed into him again. It was Ventus, his blue eyes showing bewilderment. Throwing in a few blows which were all blocked expertly he slid to the side and Roxas charged in to take his place. Utilizing both key-blades expertly, he drove his elder brother away from a bleeding Vanitas and into a space flanked by Link, Aqua and Sheikha. Impa was no-where to be seen.

Moving away when he saw Link twirling his sword, Roxas joined Ventus to check on their dark haired brother's condition. Meanwhile, Sheikha was keeping their corrupted leader occupied with a combination of magic and close combat. Flitting in and out like a butterfly the ninja tried to strike nerve clusters but was hindered each time. Seeing an opening once Sora's legs were frozen, the lithe warrior drove a knee into his solar plexus. It should've guaranteed an instant coma but instead he just doubled over and rasped.

Upon entering the throne room, Impa's attention was immediately drawn to the princess who was bleeding on the throne. Trusting the knights to take care of themselves she made a beeline for the injured princess. Now cataleptic, Impa hauled Zelda up and rushed her to one of the court physicians.

Link felt no fear, even though his adversary was essentially one of the most powerful men in the land of Hyrule, he still felt no fear. Gripping the master sword tightly he attacked the rasping Sora first with his shield, at this the possessed prince staggered backwards, rolling around him in a semi-circle Link launched up and sliced his back deeply, an arc of blood sprang up. Discovering his blood, Soranort's pupils shrunk in anger, batting back Aqua's triple blizagga he stood in the middle and his clothes started smoking and changing color, the distinctive red and black attire now changing to a vivid yellow. Seeing this Vanitas' pale complexion paled further.

"Someone" he yelled hoarsely "stop him, if he goes into his Master form, we're doomed."

A female knight, minus the shining armor did just that.

The Aqua, Link, Sheikha formation disseminated when they observed Impa careering towards them. Spinning her broad blade, she jumped up a few feet and landed the hilt of her sword square on Sora's forehead, the force of the blow sent him into shock as his transformation stopped and he landed on the floor. Pointing the tip at Soranort's throat she queried:

"Who are you?"

In a remarkable display of sheer audacity, the knight merely pushed the tip of the blade away from him. Standing up, he dusted himself off and summoned his own weapon. Impa on the other hand waited just enough for his key-blade to materialize before she disarmed him. Kingdom key went spiraling in the air and landed blade first in front of Zack, who yelped in surprise. Not to be outdone, Sora attacked her bare-handedly and Impa swiped her blade across his forehead and a thin stream of blood dribbled from the wound. Feeling his body heat up in rage, the leader quickly scrambled to his fallen key-blade and snatched it up. Facing Impa he let loose a time-splicer. Time froze as he lashed out on every occupant in the room, particularly Impa and Link, he tried to do in Vanitas as well, but when he got to him, his body responses slowed down considerably. The stupid brat trapped in his mind must be struggling exponentially.

A baffled Link tried to stem the numerous bleeding gashes and cuts that seemed to mystically appear on his body, sweeping his gaze around the room it appeared as if everyone had received similar wounds with the exception of Sora's siblings. His entire body ached and stung but he could not give up. Their leader was in trouble and it is up to them to bring him back to his senses.

"Curaga" Aqua shouted out nearby and all his injuries were healed to a more or lesser degree.

Coming towards Link with Auru in a tow was Impa; she was practically hemorrhaging from her lacerations. Auru behind her fared much better, at least he wasn't leaving a pool of blood everywhere.

"We need a new plan, because Sora is crazy" she briefed "Aqua, Vanitas and the twins will act as decoy because I noticed that he is reluctant to attack his brothers, form a ring around him and prevent him from moving too freely. Zack, Ashei and Sheikha, are to encircle the distraction group, if their arrangement somehow breaks, rush in and attack Sora. Finally Link, Auru and I will be on the offensive, when we perform an assault, be sure to shift out of the way as we cannot guarantee that you will not be harmed. Is everyone familiar with the plan?"

"Yes sir" the knights' chorused as one.

Roxas summoned his shields of light and had them encircling Sora at an extremely close range. His movements hampered, Soranort began to strike his blade on the shields trying to break them. Vanitas, Aqua and Ventus true to Impa's words formed a loose ring and watched, ready to spring at a moment's notice. Behind them Ashei, Zack and Sheikha also stood poised to raid and right at the edge, Link and Impa huddled around Auru who was setting up his cannon.

"Make sure to get a clear shot, we don't want one of our own stuck in your light cage Auru." Impa warned.

In response Auru concentrated intensely on his big gun.

"Don't worry Master Impa, once Master Sora breaks those shields surrounding him, I'll encage him post haste"

Once he finally managed to break out, a green sphere of light shot out of Auru's steampunk-ish cannon, it alighted over the first knight's head and shot out bars, in a split second, he now stood inside a luminous cage.

"Freeze it" Impa ordered.

An amalgamation of Aqua's glacier and Ashei's snow magic encased the cage completely. From behind his icy tomb Soranort glared at all of them with hate.

"What do we do now?" Auru inquired.

The reply Impa gave was unpleasant especially for the members of the House of Kingdom.

"We wait till he is oxygen deprived; afterwards we have Link run him through with the Master Sword"

Vanitas glowered at her, Ventus and Roxas blanched horribly and Link's mouth hung open.

"Y-you want me to do what?"

"Only light can drive out the darkness within him. Your Master sword is a powerful embodiment of light, or have you not noticed?" she quipped.

"Then Roxas or Ventus or Aqua can do it, why me?" he warbled

"Because you are a chosen one Link" the second knight explained "and Sora is one as well, from one to the other, you have to help him. Normally, I'd have the princess drive out a possession with one of her light arrows, but that is impossible at the moment and it is the duty of chosen ones to vanquish evil, so do what you were destined to do."

Directing her attention to the obviously woozy leader she shattered the ice with one decisive strike, the barred enclosure, however, remained intact.

"Auru, recall the cage, none of us can break that."

Sora remained standing on unsteady feet. Holding out Kingdom key, he assumed an imperfect defensive position. Link, with a determined expression, closed his eyes and plunged the Master sword deep into his chest. Vanitas covered the twins' eyes so that they do not witness how desperately their big brother thrashed about. Trailing out one final scream it all stopped. He lay still on the marbled floor, the silver of his hair turning back to the warm, familiar brown.

Facing the rest of the knights' Impa decreed:

"What you saw in this chamber remains in this chamber; none of the outsiders should ever get a whisper of Sora being possessed, we will not talk about this day unless our leader brings it up. Failure to do so will result in expulsion from the ranks of the Master Knights and exile from Hyrule. I will personally see to that."

Sheathing her sword, she picked Sora's limp body off the floor.

"You are all dismissed. Tomorrow is a day off so enjoy it and heal yourselves."

Saying this she marched off with Sora's siblings behind her.

* * *

AN: Bonus points to anyone who gets the finger flicking reference and the character I loosely based Soranort on.

Or maybe readers prefer virtual pizza?

I hate cookies.


	13. Chapter 13: Fuel the fires

AN: Okay, I am glad to know this story is not giving anyone cancer :D

Read and review please.

Disclaimer: I doth not owneth LOZ nor KH. (I was trying out my old English accent)

* * *

Chapter 13: Fuel the fires

Waking up to a starry-eyed Zelda, Sora's heart plunged into his stomach. His gaze slowly roamed over her and alighted on her abdomen. One of her hands was pressing on it; evidently she was still hurting greatly.

"I'm sorry" he whispered "I don't know what happened to me."

She shook her head, and pushed him down once he tried to get up.

"You should rest Sora, all nine members of the Master Knights ganged up to defeat you, please take the day off. None of the knights are present today."

He noticed that she was trembling slightly and it made him feel rotten.

Lying back on the bed he contented himself with staring at the ceiling and following a little while, the princess had worked up enough courage to rake her fingers through his hair. He let her. Perhaps fretting over him would keep her mind off the pain.

"Do you want something to eat? Chicken soup is g-"

Sora bolted up, eyes wide with comical fear.

"Anything but that, please." He pleaded "In fact I'd like some ice-cream, vanilla if you will"

The princess came back with a tub of frozen confectionery so quickly; Sora did not have enough time to escape. Opening the tub, she smiled widely and offered a spoonful to him. The prince however, eyed it like it was poison, last time he checked, he could feed himself just fine.

But he relented, only for today and prayed to whoever was watching from above, that Vanitas never, ever sees this.

The door opened suddenly and in walked Vanitas, the twins and Impa.

Deciding that he really ought to take a nice long vacation away from civilization, the first knight, with ice-cream dripping down his chin asked the motely group why had they come here. In truth, he was glad for a distraction, maybe he could excuse himself out along with them.

Vanitas snickered eyes sliding back and forth between husband and wife "If you don't want us big brother, we'd be happy to leave you two in…peace"

The second born received a scowl in return.

"Riku called, you are summoned to Disney Castle to talk about your possession by Xehanort. They require your presence as soon as possible" Impa informed him.

"Did you not tell them that Sora is injured?" Zelda argued.

"It's fine, I will go, I have to anyway, there is some unfinished business that requires my attention." He said "and Impa, take a team to the Goron Mines and clear it, the boss is a possessed Goron. He is the patriarch of the Goron tribe and therefore this mission is delicate, Do not relay this information to anyone else and if possible, defeat the boss alone, no one is permitted to enter the boss chamber. Also, I forgot to mention, the final chamber cannot be unlocked with a key-blade, you must assemble three big key shards that are held by elders situated throughout the dungeons and only then can the room be accessible. Did you get all of that?"

"Yes sir, I won't let you down"

The sentence elicited a smile from Sora.

"I know you won't"

* * *

The next day, the somber atmosphere around the Knights' table diluted a bit after Impa told them about Sora's speedy recovery. She also conveyed the task set to her by Sora, without the details of course. Choosing Roxas and Ventus, Ashei, Auru, Link and Sheikha to be her companions, she ordered Vanitas to create a dark corridor for them.

"I'm not a mule" was all Link heard before they vanished into nothingness.

* * *

"Oh my goodness, I hate this heat" Ashei whined.

Link had to agree, the inside of the mines, whilst impressive, was like standing in an active volcano.

Scratch that, they were standing inside an active volcano.

Wiping sweat from his brow, the tenth ranked scanned his surroundings, they were standing in some sort of depot, or perhaps a shipping area as he saw cranes, rusted holding cages and where those magnetic levitation systems? This was one cool cavern. Oh and lava, there were lots and lots of it, bubbling and hissing.

Impa turned towards her faction and spoke:

"These mines are treacherous, be careful when crossing the lava. The tram system in here is malfunctioning, therefore we will have to break and make our own way. That is all"

Eyeing the switch angrily, Link jumped on it one last time before he gave up. The rest of the knights looked at him like he was an interesting experiment.

"You could've like, I don't know, used your iron boots yeah?" an exasperated Ashei put in.

Oops.

Giving an embarrassed laugh, Link put on the iron boots and stood on the encrusted switch, it pressed down and somewhere in the temple something significant happened.

"I'm still not sure how he does that." Ventus murmured to Roxas, referring to Link opening the absurdly thick doors separating the mine's chambers. "Does herding goats allow you to do that?"

"I don't know Ven, stop asking unnecessary questions and BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU STEP!" he screeched.

Ventus had lost his footing on a narrow pathway and was dangling over the magma with a terrified expression. Link, his protectiveness for children kicking in, practically flew over and rescued him before Impa could do anything.

Holding hands with Impa was a bit uncomfortable, her palms were bandaged with some rough material and her slim fingers were calloused and hard. Ventus now strode alongside her at the head of the group, while Roxas got the better end of the deal. His lucky twin ambled beside Link, a pitying smirk on his face.

On reaching the first shrine, the Goron elder, his skin the color of slate, was extremely helpful. Blessing the group in their endeavors, he handed over the first key-shard without any fuss. From there, the company trekked through several areas filled with water and monsters particularly Tektites and water toadpoli, Link wondered why the rest of them had come here as Impa cleared off the nuisances single-handedly. Finally they arrived at a large room that, from the appearance of the machinery, looked like a processing plant. The place was filled with Bulbins and Fire Keese, their appointed leader swiped her giant blade through the air and several fire tipped arrows extinguished in mid-flight. Letting go of Ventus' hand, she charged in headfirst.

The rest of the knights watched her with awe.

"Shouldn't we help her?" asked a concerned Link.

Ashei yawned "nah, Impa will be alright, yeah"

Following Impa's impressive feats, Link resolved to be a little more helpful than the average door keeper. His turn to shine came after he hefted open a chamber and beheld the mid-boss snoozing on a circular platform of glowing magnetic material. Without much thought, he jumped on the dais and tried to hold on when it tilted and sent him skidding to the edge, as an added bonus, the mid-boss introduced as Dangoro, woke up and slammed his foot on the other end. Link, due to the sudden change in position was shot up in the air like a pancake; he landed on the magnetic field like a pancake as well.

"Ouch" he groaned.

"The iron boots Link, it would be in your best interest to use them" Impa deadpanned.

Right. Magnets. Iron. He got that.

Putting the boots on he stood on steady feet and unsheathed his sword and shield. Facing Dangoro he lunged with his blade, it was blocked by the guardian's massive rocky fist. Grinning, Link dodged the other fist flying his way and jumped back. The Goron copied his movements. Once there was a fair distance between them. Dangoro coiled up and began rolling towards the Hylian like a bowling ball. Re-sheathing his weapons, Link braced himself, stopping the mid-boss from pummeling into him, he grunted and lifted his opponent, then tossed him into the lava in one smooth motion.

"And that's how you stop charging goats" he stated.

Apparently Dangoro was not finished as he leapt up from the magma pool and alighted himself behind Link. Instead of appearing dismayed, Link's slightly maniacal grin inched wider as he prepared himself to throw the guardian back into the lava. Regrettably Auru shot out a massive ball of lead and knocked the enemy out where he stood.

Waking up to Impa's stern gaze caused the Goron to ask for forgiveness , her countenance mellowed as the Goron explained that he was guarding treasure. The Hero of times' bow which was now to be handed over to the victor of the match, Link was pushed forward and he accepted the gift humbly.

Securing the third key-shard had been as easy as getting the other two, however upon exiting the elder's shrine the group ran into the prince of the Gerudo Kingdom. Link stopped and stared at him, there was something awfully familiar about his coffee-brown skin, orange hair and most importantly those piercing eyes.

* * *

Acrid smoke filled his lungs. All he could see was his mother's shock of straw blonde hair bouncing behind her as she ran clutching him, away from the fire plaguing the mansion. Link coughed and held on to her tightly, they were running through the hallway and the portraits of Link's ancestors looked down on the two figures. He really hated those prints, frowning mustached men who did nothing but look haughty. There was one painting he liked though, a picture of a kind man with a weird hat, standing next to a horse. He couldn't help but gasp when the image went up in flames.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Link's mother opened the door to a horrifying sight and screamed. Startled by it, he twisted himself to the front and was greeted by the image of his father stretched out on the tiled floor, eyes travelling up; he glimpsed a scary man with a long nose, brown skin and an unkind sneer.

"Please, not my Link, he hasn't done anything, he's only a child." Mother beseeched, holding Link so tightly to her chest, it was difficult for him to breath.

"The mere fact you named him after the famed Hero of time and his ancestor, if I may add, is proof of who he is. A thorn to my existence, hand over the child and I will spare you." The man growled.

She fell to her knees, tears spilling from her blue eyes as she wrapped Link in a vise grip, trying to shield him away from the person who so desperately wanted to kill him.

"I'm begging you, he won't do anything, can't you see he is just a baby? I-"

Ganondorf slapped her, instead of clasping her cheek and sobbing; she held on to his legs and further pleaded for the life of her child.

He had enough.

"I'll kill you both then; it's the only kindness I can offer"

Link felt the cold metal slide against side of his belly, he wasn't pierced his mother made sure of that. As Ganondorf stabbed them, she seized the blade with her free hand and guided it away from Link, once he removed the sword; she slumped over covering her baby and bled to death. The villain didn't bother checking if one of them was alive and it suited the dying woman just fine.

Heaving his prone mother off him, the boy crawled over to his father and tried to wake him up. The fire had reached the room they were currently in and he was scared. Link's father didn't rise up, he finally resorted to pulling the accolades decorating his father's military uniform, Link knew for sure that dad would now get up. Daddy never liked it when Link pulled his medals; he looked angry and scolded him. Now dad will also get angry and awaken to tell him off.

Unfortunately for young Link, neither mom nor dad woke up that day.

Vice captain of the guards, Rusl rushed into his superior's mansion, the fire was doused out and he could hear the anguished cries of a youngster echoing hauntingly throughout the burned house. Making it to the room where the sounds emerged from he observed a heart wrenching sight. A boy, sitting on the floor, holding the hands of his deceased parents and wailing loudly for everyone to hear, Rusl picked him up and got a tiny punch for his reward.

"Let go of me, I want my mama and papa to wake up, WAKE THEM UP!" Link thrashed and screamed in Rusl's embrace.

Rocking the lad back and forth in an effort to calm him, he spoke.

"Mama and Papa are in a better place kiddo, don't wor-"

Link broke in: "I want to go there" he bawled "take me to them"

"No, no, not now, they will come and visit you when the time is right. For now how about I be your papa eh? I'm your daddy's second in command my name is Rusl"

The boy gave no response as he had fainted from exhaustion.

* * *

The memory faded out and Link began snarling, rage robbed him of all senses when he brought out his sword and barreled towards Ganondorf, trying to decapitate his head. Unsheathing his own sword, he blocked the blow with a confused expression. Directing a glance at Impa he queried:

"Is this the treatment a prince is-"

"YOU KILLED MY PARENTS!" Link howled, forcing his blade down on the Gerudo "YOU- MY MOTHER, UGH!"

To the observers, it appears as if fury rendered Link incomprehensible. They took a step back, Link was being quite frightening.

"Link, stand-" Impa began but was ignored.

Shoving himself away from Ganondorf, the tenth rank controlled his ragged breathing, pain and wrath consumed him. He will avenge the untimely death of his beloved parents.

"I will kill you and revenge them" he gritted out. Arming himself with the shield, he charged once more.

"LINK, I COMMAND YOU TO STAND DOWN!" Impa roared.

It did the work since the knight slid to a halt a few feet from the chief.

"Good, now apologize"

The embers flared up again.

"WHAT?" He demanded.

"You need to get your ears checked; I said you should ask for mercy, attacking a member royalty is a grave offence, bow down, NOW"

Swallowing back resentment, Link did as he was told; surprisingly Impa joined him in his groveling.

"Please forgive us my lord, Link here is a new recruit and is not aware of your status."

A smirk began forming on Ganondorf's visage.

"Ah, no need to worry; I hope he is aptly punished for this. I deem an execution."

"It will be carried out chief, now then if you will excuse us."

They were standing in front of the boss chamber and Impa was unlocking it. Link could not stop shivering as the previous scene played out in his mind. Death by execution did not seem very heroic or courageous.

"Impa" Ventus spoke "You were not serious about Link being beheaded are you?"

"Yes I was, if he decreed an execution as a payment for his insult, it should be carried out."

"Unless the prince and princess of our kingdom have anything to say about it." Roxas added.

Unseen by anyone Impa smiled.

"Right everyone; I will go in alone, do not attempt to help me as you will only be a hindrance." Saying this she went in the boss' chamber.

A measly fifteen later Impa reappeared with a hulking Goron in a tow.

"That's probably a new record Impa, very impressive" Auru reported.

The second in command remained unfazed.

"Goron Mines, cleared" she declared.

* * *

When Sora arrived at Disney Castle, the usually cheery place was now quiet as a grave. Stepping in the council room, he felt like a deer caught in headlights as everyone fixated on him. Mickey and Riku's disbelieving looks were the worst.

"So we heard that you were possessed Master Sora"

Hearing this he recoiled.

"I do not deny it and I'm sad to say that I really don't know how it happened Master Yen Sid. I went to investigate the End of the world for signs of darkness and I found Xehanort alive and well. I attacked and cornered him but before I could finish him off the world went black. I woke up trapped in his mind till Link exorcised him out."

"Who's Link" Mickey inquired.

"A chosen one" there was a collective gasp around the table "it sounds strange but it is the truth, apart from being a reincarnation of the previous Links he is the direct descendant of the Hero of Time"

The council room erupted in skeptical outcries.

"That's preposterous" Donald quacked "the emergence of two chosen ones' in one time period is unheard of, have you gone mad Sora?"

The person in question spared a silent moment appreciating Zelda; he now knew how it was to be opposed all the time.

"Then perhaps the threat in this era is greater than anyone of us could fathom? Have you thought of that Donald?"

Riku grinned, Sora has grown.

A little.

"Ahyuk" Goofy replied.

King Mickey stood on his chair.

"Sora is right" he squeaked "instead of talking about why and how he was possessed we should direct our attention to the darkness that is rising. Without any doubt Master Xehanort is back and is seeking vengeance. Focus on defeating him, it is our mission as key-blade masters."

"No, there is someone else equally as bad. The chief of the Gerudo Kingdom, Ganondorf is his name, in the Hylian legends; he is the holder of the triforce of power."

"And it is the obligation of this Link to bring him down" Yen Sid concluded.

"There is a possibility of them working together." Riku commented.

No one had any answer. His implication was damning.

"Okay, we will retaliate if we perceive any active threat from Xehanort, till then be on your guard. Meeting dismissed." Mickey declared.

Outside, Riku did not bother intervening when Kairi tugged on Sora's ears and shouted in his face. His friend was long overdue for one of Kairi's lectures.

"You" ear tug "stabbed the princess in her gut, how could you?!"

Cowering he replied:

"I was possessed alright, sheesh I wasn't in control of what was happening around me."

Thankfully she let go of his ears, he began massaging them vigorously.

"Did apologize and give her flowers?"

"I apologized."

"The flowers?" Kairi prompted.

The prince remained silent.

His childhood friend sighed, "I'm guessing you don't treat princess Zelda very nicely do you?"

"Try having someone stare, smile and blush at you constantly. Perhaps you'll feel for me instead" Sora added snappishly.

Out of thin air, Kairi procured a bouquet of various flowers wrapped in purple cellophane and a tag dangling with it. Pushing it in his hands she made him promise to give the flowers to the princess.

Back at Hyrule, the first knight glanced at the flowers and read the accompanying tag, it said:

' _From Sora, with love'_

Tearing the tag off, he tossed it away, unbeknownst to him, a random girl caught the little piece of flying paper, upon reading it and observing Sora striding regally to the castle, she fainted on the spot from happiness. Finally reaching the throne room, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of an empty room. Relief was short lived as soon as Zelda walked in mere seconds later.

Retracting the bouquet from an open window, the noble shuffled towards her and presented the flowers awkwardly, for some reason his cheeks were heating up.

From discomfit or some other emotion he wasn't sure.


	14. Chapter 14: Courage and stupidity

AN: Generally life has been quite sucky to me. So I present to you another chapter, please read and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom hearts.

* * *

Chapter 14: Courage and stupidity

"Well Link, I think it was extremely courageous of you to single handedly attack the holder of the triforce of power" Sora said.

Link, detecting heavy amounts of sarcasm in Sora's false praise wriggled uncomfortably, his hands and feet were bound with golden chains to the chair he was sitting on. In front of him was a raised platform, curved to fit within the circular room. On the platform sat a panel of important looking officials. Princess Zelda was right in the middle gracing Link with an unimpressed look, to her left sat Cor Goron, a woman sporting fins and a coral pink outfit (or was that her skin?) she was stunning in an exotic way and to his horror, Ganondorf. To her right sat Sora, in a military uniform with the golden crown insignia of the House of Kingdom blazed on his chest, Rusl and a…humanoid mouse with a crown on his head.

A talking mouse, how nice.

"Link, tell us your reasons for attacking the prince of the Gerudo Kingdom, you should have a good one." Zelda commanded softly.

"Ganondorf killed my parents" Link replied in disgust "other than that, I have no other reason your highness."

"Normally, personal vendetta does not count as a reason" The Gerudo countered.

"But of course chief, according to Link, you murdered two members of Hyrule's noble family and one of them was the Captain of the guards, I think it a good reason to sentence _you_ to an execution."

Next to the princess Sora heaved a sigh of relief, he counted on the bewitched princess ability to return to normal when ominous forces were at play, so far his haunch was proven correct and he believed wholeheartedly that if anyone could save Link, it would be her, the holder of the triforce of wisdom. Right now, her eyes were glittering defiantly.

"You overstepped the line with that statement princess, you do not have proof that I, a prince have committed murder." The man rumbled.

Zelda raised her head. "We do have proof; it's etched on the back of Link's hand. If you are familiar with the legends prince, which I am sure you are, it has been historically proven that time and time again the holder of the triforce of courage will defeat you. Armed with this knowledge, you sought Link out while he was a child and attempted to kill his entire family off. Please correct me if I am wrong."

At this Ganondorf chuckled.

"Very good princess, I now understand why Xehanort was so interested in you, in a way you are exactly like him."

"The noble princess is nothing like that despicable villain" Mickey spoke up and all attention swiveled to him.

"You must be King Mickey" the chief noted "what is a formidable key-blade master doing in Hyrule?"

"It is none of your business" Zelda brusquely added "and now with agreement from the leaders of Hyrule I will pass judgment. Ganondorf from hereby onwards you are exiled from Hyrule and its neighboring countries. There are signs of you wreaking havoc in this world, corrupting the Goron patriarch, consorting with an inter-dimensional enemy, murdering citizens and most importantly, you destroyed your own kingdom. We do not want to see you in Hyrule again."

The fallen prince stood up.

"I guess I have to do my own work then" he sneered and eyed Link with malice "did it never occur to you, wise princess that we are but pawns in the goddess' game of divine chess? Every few centuries this story of ours repeats in an infinite sequence. I don't know if you are aware that the Hero of time was in love with his Zelda, alas they could not be together because the rulers of the universe decreed that their paths could not cross more than necessary. The hero married a female rancher whilst the princess died alone. Tragic isn't it?"

"I am mindful of my position and I accept my role willingly. Good and evil will never reach an impasse, they are always in a cycle, one triumphing over the other till the best man stands and light is always crowned the victor. Remember that." Zelda delivered her speech with iron clad determination.

"I will see you all at the battlefield, recall your words when I stand over your and that brat's corpse Zelda." Saying this, Ganondorf left.

* * *

Opening a tome on the History of Hyrule, Sora pointed to a picture of a man who resembled Link.

"Is this your father?"

Grabbing the book, Link observed the image of his father and openly wept. Rusl placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The three of them were currently sitting around a table in the prince's study

"I-I had forgotten about that day, how could I forget about the time my parents died?" Link self-admonished.

"They say bad memories are sometimes buried deep within the mind and are discounted. The important part is that you remembered, take the day off and relax." Sora soothed him.

"Thank you sir for your generosity."

* * *

He really did not know how the events twisted into this. Sandwiched in between Ventus and Roxas, he was seated before a wall sized television with a bowl of multi-colored ice-cream in his hands. On one edge of the bowl was what Roxas called sea-salt flavor, on the other edge, sloshing a bit over the rim was Sora's favorite, vanilla and in the middle occupying the most space was Ventus' and Vanitas' favorite, rockin-crunch.

Or something along those lines.

The twins beamed at him and he smiled back.

Link, after exiting Sora's study wandered listlessly in the courtyard of the palace, normally he'd be practicing his sword skills alone or with Rusl and if not, he'd be riding the Spinner; but today he was in no mood to do any of those things. Lowering himself on a ledge, he brooded.

Hearing footsteps he looked up to see the twins grinning nervously at him.

"Are you okay? You didn't get executed did you?" Ventus queried.

"If he was beheaded Ven, the Link here would be a ghost, does he look like one to you?" Roxas asked.

Ven pouted "No."

"Do you want to tell us what happened Link, you look very sad" Ventus encouraged.

"I was remembering my parents" came the simple answer.

The twins were silent.

"Are they…"Roxas trailed off.

"Dead yes, they died to protect me when I was a baby."

Wordlessly they boarded him on both sides. Somehow this simple action cheered him up considerably.

"We can take you to our mansion…" Roxas began

"And we can have an ice-cream eating contest" Ventus finished.

"Not what I had in mind but yeah, it'll do" The elder twin mumbled underneath his breath.

And that is how he came to eating ice-cream in the noble's mansion.

The TV flickered to life and the twins picked up game controllers in perfect harmonization. For the next few hours, they traded jokes, insults and gaming tips. There was general screaming, shouting and laughing and at one time, Link's head got bonked as Roxas had thrown his controller in a comical fit of anger. After apologizing, he handed the controller to Link.

"Here, you can try playing a bit."

The Hylian tried and lost horribly, it was so horrible the twins resorted to rolling on the floor from laughter.

The back door of the mansion opened unexpectedly. Hearing this, the twins stifled their laughter, shot up together and Roxas jumped on Link, forcing him in a horizontal position whilst Ventus looked around the room. Picking up a discarded blanket, he threw it over Link covering him. They then sat on him just as Vanitas sauntered into the room.

Skeptical of their mischievous smiles he questioned:

"What were you two doing?"

"We were playing games/eating ice-cream" they both responded.

"Excuse me?"

"Eating ice-cream and then playing games." Ventus clarified.

"I see, so I suppose the third bowl on the table was for a ghost?" Vanitas loomed closer "is there someone else in here?" his tone was dangerously low.

The twins turned white as snow.

"Was Sora here?"

Eh?

"N-no," Roxas and Ventus began outright quivering, seeing this Vanitas relaxed his rigidity.

"I won't bite your head off you know, if you guys bring friends over it won't bother me as long as they stay out of my way."

It was a big fat lie, but he needed the twins to speak. Traditionally outsiders were forbidden in the mansion. Whoever sneaked in would die a painful death. The thought made the third rank a little happy.

Ventus, understanding for a fact that big brother Vanitas only had their best interest in mind, uncovered Link who was crumpled on the sofa in a very uncomfortable position. He got up slowly and rubbed his sore body.

"Hi Vanitas" He greeted "I know I am not welcome in your place, so sorry. I'll take my leave."

Imparting those words, he bowed and started marching in the direction of the exit.

Big brother Vanitas exploded.

Gripping Link by the scruff of his tunic, he drove a knee in the small of the green clad hero's back and forced him face first on the floor. The twins ran over and struggled to haul Vanitas off Link. The brunette was livid.

The door unlocked again and all the occupants in the room froze.

In walked Aqua holding a wrapped box, taking in the scene before her she enquired:

"What is going on here?"

Vanitas flashed her a vampiric grin. "Link and I are…bonding"

That sounded gross

"Vanitas, please get off Link's back, he looks like he's going to die any moment."

He complied and got off, facing Aqua he demanded:

"And what are you doing here, visitors are not allowed, you practically live with Ven when we go vacationing to Destiny Islands"

On the floor, the tenth ranked knight twitched, the sound of Aqua 'practically living with Ven' did not sit well with him.

"I came to give him and Roxas some cake I baked. They must be lonely without Sora and speaking of being lonely, you are not home most of the time are you?"

"I think Vanitas goes on dates" piped up Ventus.

Aqua blinked.

Vanitas glowered.

"What? You wear nice clothes every time you leave" reasoned the younger twin

"For your information you idiot, I go around attending boring parties, meetings and declining wedding proposals on Sora's behalf. Next time you suggest such an idea, I will confiscate your rights to ice-cream and playing games with Roxas."

Ventus wisely shut up.

"Why decline wedding proposals, don't you want to get married brother?" Roxas probed politely.

"They are not for me you dolt, those proposals are for YOU TWO, DO YOU WANNA GET MARRIED AT TWELVE HUH?"

The twins were petrified, figuratively.

"You damaged them, psychologically speaking"

"Shut it commoner; go back to kissing the floor"

Following another series of questionable happenings, Link was, for a second time, sandwiched in between Ventus and Roxas. On the other side of the older twin sat Vanitas. Aqua had given all of them a fierce scolding before she left, and now, they were assembled like bottles on a shelf. The silence in the room was simply deafening.

"Did you have fun with Link, Ventus, Roxas?"

"Yes" they chorused.

"Good, then…he's still not welcome at the mansion, and keep your interactions with him to a minimum."

They nodded their heads hesitantly.

"Alright, now both of you get to bed. I won't ask twice."

The twins bolted.

Staring at the TV with all of his willpower combined, Link implored the device to crash, or turn on, or do something to stop Vanitas from glaring at him like that. His end was near, he was sure of it.

"Master Vanitas, you are not going to kill me are you?"

"How old are you?"

The question was unforeseen so the Hylian gaped at him for a while.

"Oh, uh, I'm seventeen…sir"

 _Younger than him huh_. Vanitas thought.

"I really hate you, you remind me of him"

"I apologize for annoying you sir, and I have no idea of who I remind you of" Link wasn't sure if he was sane anymore.

"Wipe that smile off you moron, you are the spitting image of my brother. A selfless freak, he leaves us here all alone whilst trying to save the world, who the hell does he think he is? I hate him."

"He is your brother Master Vanitas." Link quietly reminded him "despite the fact that he shoulders such responsibility, he too is suffering by not being with you guys, please understand how he feels as well."

With his heightened senses, he picked up the profound loneliness churning deep within the individual sitting next to him. He claimed to hate, but there was none of the strong emotion, he seemed broken beyond repair, housing a negative energy that was at odds with his brothers' signature light. Trying to shut his senses down, Link knew if he delved deeper, he might uncover the secrets Vanitas was trying to smother up. Doing so would not be fair.

The noble tossed him a controller. Barely five minutes later, he it snatched back with the words:

"You royally suck at gaming."

And they shared a laugh.

* * *

Sitting at the head of the knights' table, Sora started stifled a yawn. Even though he was tired, this meeting was relevant. It was to discuss the imminent threat of darkness and the probability of Xehanort and Ganondorf working together. Ideally princess Zelda would've been present, but right now, she is mooning over the flowers Sora gave her a few days ago.

Once all the members were present he began the discussion.

"As you all witnessed I was possessed by Xehanort several days ago, so today I want to di-"

"Did the possession hurt Master Sora?" Ashei quizzed.

"discuss about the two threats to our and all other kingdoms. One you are familiar with, Xehanort and the other is the chief of the Gerudo tribe Ganondorf"

On hearing this Link growled softly.

"I want everyone to pitch in and give suggestions on how to deal with them, however, the groundwork has been written in history books. Link is destined to get rid of Ganondorf and I will do the same with Xehanort."

Aqua stood up: "If I may ask sir, why must Link be the one to get rid of Ganondorf?"

"His battle has been directed eons ago, he along with the princess of Hyrule will band together and defeat the holder of the triforce of power. If you read the old legends and histories of Hyrule, you will see it is filled with such stories. Our Link here is a reincarnation of the first hero who gave up his life for Hyrule and after he passes on, many years later another Link, another Zelda and Ganondorf will rise and repeat what our Link is set out to do."

The hero in question could pick up the pity and sorrow rising like a mist from the people seated around the table. At first he was slightly peeved, he did not want their pity, then, he realized that they were only sad because they cared for him.

"Enough of those legends, focus on the present." Sora commanded "what measures can we take to stop them?"

Impa spoke: "No measures are necessary; we get rid of them once and for all."

"The idea is fair Impa, unfortunately we are dealing with Xehanort here, I am sure he has a back-up plan, within a back-up plan and the back-up plan has a plan of its own. Throw Ganondorf in the mix and heads will implode."

"We now know that Ganondorf is the one behind the monsters and weird occurrences inside the temples. It will benefit us greatly if any teams venturing inside the dungeons could keep an eye out for him." Auru offered.

"As for Xehanort, its best to leave him be. Countering him is dangerous, you won't even recognize when he has you on his strings, rather, we follow his trail and wait for him to make a move first."

"Aye sir" the knights spoke at once.

"From here on, our tasks get more dangerous, please take utmost care of yourselves, help and support each other. We are the master knights," Sora began.

"We fight, we hear and we obey." The rest of the members thundered.

"And Link, don't do anything stupid as to attack people you hate on sight." The leader advised once the chant died down.

* * *

Xehanort smirked.

"You failed, again."

Ganondorf demolished a table in rage.

"What do you want me to do?" he hissed.

"Oh that is simple, get rid of the leader first, the rest will follow"

"I did not see you succeeding in your mission Xehanort."

"Oh," he chuckled "I was testing him as a vessel, despite being strong, he won't do. I need to search for a new body. So you can get rid of him, using my methods. As for you, I suggest you do what you do best, strike terror and sow conflict, show me what you can do."

Ganondorf's grin mirrored Xehanort's

Finally, no more sneaking around and pretending; he will raze Hyrule to the ground and rebuild it from its ashes. In a nation of his own desire of course.

* * *

AN: Xehanort and his fifty back-up plans and body doubles, not even the creators of KH know what he is up too.


	15. Chapter 15: Sowing seeds of discord

AN: First of all, A big thanks to Firespirit101 for reviewing and alerting the story (totally rekindled my spirit for writing, sorry bad pun, but I couldn't resist)

Please read and review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ nor KH. And my internet speeds suck.

* * *

Chapter 15: Sowing seeds of discord.

Zora's domain was in shock. They had just witnessed the murder of their princess, Rutela in cold blood by Ganondorf. Moreover Rutela's child, prince Ralis, following the death of his mother, ran away to god knows where.

"We should ask for the princess of Hyrule to aid us" an elder Zora decreed.

An argument broke out at once.

"Don't be fools" a guard shouted "you heard the murderer, if we seek help, he will freeze our domain."

"Without a leader, we are nothing, we do not even know where the prince fled." Added another.

"Be quiet people!" the advisor bellowed. "First, clear a room, we will call upon the prince and princess of Hyrule to aid us. Being our ally and neighboring country, they will not fail us. Also the princess is judicious. She will guide us on what should be done in this situation."

The rest of the Zora's carried out his orders in a subdued fashion.

* * *

Intercepted by a messenger on the way to the knights' chamber, the first knight found out that he and Zelda were urgently summoned to Zora's domain for a meeting. Grabbing the princess from the throne room and telling her that no, they were not going on a date; he passed through a dark corridor and was hailed with disagreeable news.

Further unpleasant was when Zelda hadn't switched to wisdom princess mode. Maybe Sora was pushing his luck.

The leader of the Master knights really could not believe it.

Squeezing his wife's hand to stop her from giggling in an important gathering, he listened with his full attention as the advisor to Queen Rutela recounted how she was killed.

"He marched in the place and demanded that we all obey him or be put to death. Obviously our gracious Queen severely objected to this and without warning he pulled out his sword and ran her right through. When she fell, he decapitated her, prince Ralis, the poor child was not used to such violence, he ran off screaming. We searched the entire domain for him but alas. Please help us sir, we are at a loss."

"Ganondorf slayed Rutela as a warning, right?"

"Yes my lord, we defied him, we were an example to other races. He also threatened to turn our home into a wasteland should we search for assistance." The advisor delivered solemnly.

Sora cast a sidelong glance at Zelda who looked away demurely. Yep, no support from the princess.

Inhaling deeply, he said:

"Advisor, I take it as my duty to search for your lost prince, as for your sacred shrine, the Lakebed temple, I need permission to enter it. Soon it will be overrun with monsters and Ganondorf will be behind it. I will send a team of knights to cleanse the temple and engage the villain, if he is still present. Rest assured, we will not allow Zora's domain to freeze over."

Hearing this, the advisor bowed deeply and clasped Sora's hands.

"We, the Zoras will forever be grateful to you" he intoned.

* * *

After escorting Zelda back to her room and assuring her that yes, they will go on a date one day; the leader of the knights flew towards the chamber. Entering and seating himself on his gold gilded throne with dignity, he related the morning's events and watched as the faces of his soldiers morphed into various degrees of disbelief and alarm. He noted Link baring his fangs right at the end of the table and hoped the chosen one won't turn into a wolf.

"I will set up two simultaneous missions. I will be leading one a-"

"Yes!" Ashei and Zack exclaimed.

"nd Link will lead the other." Sora briefed.

Overhearing his name, Link tamed himself somewhat though his eyes still smoldered with anger.

"Link choose your members first. I will take the rest."

Standing up nervously, he scanned the room. Generally he had no problem on choosing his companions but Sora's expectant gaze unnerved him. He sat back down again without saying a word.

The prince raised an eyebrow.

Like seriously, was this guy supposed to be the holder of courage?

"Fine, Roxas and Ven, would you like to go with Link?"

"Yes sir" they quietly droned.

"I gave you your first member Link, please pick the rest."

This time he had no problem. Shooting up he rattled off the names of Zack, Aqua, Sheikha and Ashei.

"Sorry, I will be taking Ashei, since the two of us are leading, we can take four members each, understand?" Sora asked

"Yes sir" replied Link.

"Alright and I have on my team, Impa, Vanitas, Ashei and Auru. Seems okay." The heir to the House of kingdom murmured.

"Now, for the contents of the assignment. Link, the Lakebed temple is huge, it will take you at least two days or more to clear it. First off, I believe that you cannot breathe underwater so you have to secure a Zora's tunic, visit their domain and they will tell you how to procure it. Secondly, you need weapons that will work underwater, visit Kakariko village to buy some underwater bombs, tell Barnes I sent you, he will give you a discount and if he does not, come and tell me. Thirdly, take provisions and camping equipment, you're going to need it. Keep your courage up if you face Ganondorf, do not be consumed with rage and come back safe. Promise me."

If Link didn't know any better, Sora just sounded like a sentimental father. He bowed to his leader.

"I promise to bring my squad back, safe and sound"

"As for us, we will be trekking all over Hyrule searching for prince Ralis. I have no idea where he might have fled to, any submissions?"

Vanitas made his presence known:

"Yes, our mission is absolutely boring. Why can't we all clear the temple together? It would've made my life much more fun" he scathed.

His elder brother ignored him.

"Impa?" he prompted.

"…We split in two groups, You and Vanitas, or rather You and Auru. Vanitas, Ashei and I will be the other team."

The first knight grinned at his trusty subordinate's quick thinking.

"I knew I can count on you"

* * *

Kicking some grass, Vanitas scowled at the sun. Trekking through Hyrule was seriously draining his energy. He now wished to be on his brother's faction. Sora was visiting cities, probably using the dark corridors as a transport medium, whilst Impa, the veteran soldier insisted that they all go on foot.

On foot in this sweltering heat and Hyrule field was vast.

"Stop" instructed Impa.

"I don't see a-" started Vanitas but was cut off as an arrow embedded itself on the ground a few centimeters in front of him. His eyes alighted with glee and without a word or warning he materialized Void gear and ran off in the general direction of the flying arrow.

Spying some bulbins and bulblin archers he came down on them like a vicious tornado. All the enemies saw was a red and black blur before they collapsed, some archers still with their fire arrows half drawn. After he was done, Vanitas came to a dizzying standstill and collapsed on the ground.

"I see you are close to perfecting it." Impa and the rest of the knights showed up.

"Close to perfecting it? Are you blind? You saw what _he_ did, he froze time itself…All I did was push myself to be faster…and I still can't beat Ventus."

"What you did was impressive Vanitas…instead of trying to copy light magic and recreate them into your own attacks, why don't you outright create your own moves? I admit the time splicer is amazing but it is not for you, play with your strengths." Impa encouraged.

Silence was the only gratitude the second ranked knight got from Vanitas.

On the other end Sora and Auru were in Telma's bar in Castle Town and Sora was not impressed.

"Are you sure we will find information about the prince here?" he gestured around the place where the mail man was busy crooning to himself in one corner and a drunken brawl was brewing around one of the tables.

"Yes Master Sora, Telma's bar is a great source of information and gossip"

"Gossip" Sora echoed.

Auru gave a guilty grin.

Telma saw two figures approaching her, one was Auru, an old friend and the other was an elite noble. Upon seeing Sora, she winked at him.

The first knight took no notice, though his eye was twitching non-stop.

"Telma, have you seen or heard about a young Zora prince? He has ran away from his home and is currently missing, we are looking for him." Questioned Auru.

"Hmm…is the prince a child? Because one Zora child stopped by the bar for a while, the poor thing looked miserable so I tried to comfort him. He did not say a word and just left." Telma informed the duo

"Where did he go?" Sora demanded

"Oh that I don't know. If I find out I will tell you immediately, for now, please take a seat, it's not every day that my bar is graced with such noble visitors."

"We do not have time Telma, thank you for the information, we will visit again." The leader of the knights then exited the bar with Auru in a tow.

Outside Sora created a dark corridor that lead to Lake Hylia. Scouting around the area with the eighth ranked knight proved to be futile work. There seemed to be no evidence that the prince had come here. In fact what evidence would a runaway prince leave behind anyway? Climbing up a watch tower overlooking the Gerudo desert, Auru glued his eyes onto his binoculars and swept the area thoroughly. Coming down he told Sora that the prince might not be in the desert as it would dry his sensitive skin out.

"I doubt it's the only reason" the prince snarked to himself.

"We may try Snowpeak" recommended Auru.

"No, the entrance to the province is guarded by the Zoras, we know Ralis is not in Zora's domain or the surrounding areas."

"So what should we do sir?"

The leader doubted the answer 'Give up and go home' would be suitable in this situation.

"We keep on trying" he responded.

* * *

If it weren't for Aqua and the twins, Link could have never gotten himself into Zora's domain. The area was stunning, cyan waterfalls, dotted around the vicinity all cascaded down into a central lake. Instead of coming inside the Zora's home, Aqua stood at the entrance enthralled by the view.

"Leave her be" Sheikha said, "water is her element."

The moment Link stepped inside, he sensed a lingering spirit, voluntarily turning into a wolf, he beheld the ghost of Rutela, floating near her throne a mournful look on her face. Seeing Link, she hovered closer to him.

"You must be the chosen one, please save my people and my child, find him and keep him safe" Saying this, the Queen faded away.

Link's transformation to a wolf was met with mixed reactions. Some Zora's gaped in admiration, others were convinced the beast was a co-conspirator with Ganondorf. As they saw him morph back into a human, they all swarmed over him.

"Wha-what happened to you?" a wobbly guard tried to point a seashell spear at him.

"The spirit of Queen Rutela spoke to me, she said to help her people and to keep Prince Ralis safe." Link delivered.

Hearing this they all threw down their weapons.

"I need help, in order to clear the temple, I need the Zora's tunic. My leader, Master Sora told me you would help me in my quest." the knight appealed.

The advisor stepped forward.

"I'm afraid the Zora's tunic was buried a long time ago. Traditionally the tunics are made with special fabric allowing the wearer to gain abilities akin to the Zora tribe, namely breath underwater. We make it and keep it sealed or buried for those who need it. I think this warrants as a reason to attain it. Does our tribe agree?"

A loud chorus of yes shook the cavern.

"Hero, the tunic is in Kakariko village's graveyard, in a special area reserved for the burial of our King and Queen. Seek the tunic there and you will find it."

Bowing, Link and his troupe moved out of Zora's domain.

"Do I have to walk all the way to Kakariko or is Link gonna give me a ride on Epona? Speaking of transportation, can't any of you create dark corridors?" Zack complained.

"No." came the twins short answer.

Zack sighed.

"Auspicious leader, may I-"

But the appointed leader was too busy discussing tactics with Aqua and Sheikha to pay any attention.

"HELLO, Zack Fair needs a RIDE!" he finally shouted.

Before Link opened his mouth to say something, Aqua beat him to the punch.

"You can ride with me, Sheikha will be warping."

The soldier smiled widely.

At Kakariko's graveyard, Link went in alone. Pushing a boulder aside, he discovered a small passageway leading to another part. A small pool of water separated the two land regions and after swimming across, he stood in front of the King of Zora's grave. Uttering a silent prayer, he opened his eyes and once again met the soul of the Queen; she had shown herself in the visible spectrum.

"You will find the tunic in a chest at the foot of the grave. I hope you are successful in clearing the temple" her voice was soft.

Digging out the clothes was easy. Unlocking the chest, he took the blue colored attire out and examined it. The shoes… he had flippers for shoes.

Whatever.

Putting on the Zora's tunic, he took an experimental dive in the pool and was amazed. Not only was it possible to inhale and exhale air, he also moved around without the density of water hampering him. At the bottom of the pool, he spotted colorful marine life thanks to the torch on his forehead lighting up his dark surroundings.

Clad in a new outfit, he was met with skeptical looks on rejoining his friends.

"It suits you Link, nice color, I like blue" Aqua stated.

"You look like a humanoid fish" laughed Zack and the twins.

Sheikha verbalized nothing.

"Let's go to Barnes and get those bombs, I have no time for this." An irked Link uttered.

* * *

"Why does my brother have a need to lead tedious missions?"

"Diplomacy and politics are always monotonous subjects, Master Vanitas" Impa explained.

"He could lead an expedition to the Lakebed shrine, all ten of us, it won't even take a day to finish." The third knight insisted.

"Yes, although if our leader is leading it, there will not be any need of other members joining him" Impa coolly countered

"Yeah right, he'll need Riku to make sure his head isn't lopped off by a blade trap and those things run on the ground."

At this, Impa cracked a grin and Ashei laughed.

"Is Master Sora really like that yeah? I've heard rumors, had a hard time believing them." The sixth ranked knight exclaimed.

"You heard nothing" ordered Vanitas and Impa simultaneously.


	16. Chapter 16: Ugly toads and skeleton fish

AN: Thank you to Quasitable for alerting my story, it gives me power! Secondly, I present to you a chapter on the Water temple and its uselessness. Seriously, they serve to make life difficult. Every time I play LOZ I use a walkthrough to get through the water temples. Ain't nobody got time to figure its intricacies out.

Please read and review

Disclaimer: I doth not own LOZ nor KH nor this Laptop, no wait, I do own the laptop.

* * *

Chapter 16: Ugly toads and skeleton piranhas

Link didn't understand why Aqua could not simply enclose him in a barrier like she did with the rest of the team. As it stands, he was the only one without a multicolored magical bubble.

"We can't use our hands or any weapons in this state Link." Aqua clarified "you are the only one who can use those bombs and gain entry to the temple, the rest of us are sitting ducks."

And so, he blasted the rock obscuring the door and after swimming through a narrow channel, the group landed inside a cavern, fragile stalactites hung from the ceiling and to the surprise of no one, a stretch of water. Before Link thought of diving in, Sheikha threw a giant ninja star and collapsed the rocky icicles. They fell, making a crude bridge.

"Thanks, I didn't think of that" the tenth knight said.

They hopped forward, getting rid of helmanosaurs and tektites along the way. On passing a bridge, Sheikha, who was currently leading the team, slashed a Lizalfos without even looking at it.

Beyond the bridge, the team alighted into the temple itself.

The interior of the Zora temple was breathtaking. A grand central staircase lay suspended over a body of water. The main room was round with doors leading to other chambers situated in cardinal positions. Link and Zack ran up the flight of steps and on coming down, the soldier spied a hanging switch. Thinking nothing significant will happen, he swung on the lever. The stairway rotated one level below with a bewildered Link standing in the middle of it.

"Zack, what did you do?" Sheikha questioned.

"I just hung on it" he pointed to the yellow switch "not like I knew the staircase was going to go down. Anyway, we can vault over the fences and join Link."

In a few minutes, Link was joined by five other people.

"Do we have a plan?" Aqua queried.

The Hylian observed a padlocked door set in a pinkish sea-urchin door frame. It was a garish sight. Turning to the rest of the team he pointed the boss door out. Zack whooped and marched over dragging Aqua along to unseal the entrance. As much as she tried, the lock would not open.

Seeing this the twins sagely imparted:

"Nothing in the world comes easy."

It left Link wondering what they went through in order to come up with such advice.

Once an irate Aqua and Zack came back, Link laid out a strategy: "We know the stairway is controlled by those hanging levers, there is an extra story above us and it is impossible to reach, even by jumping" he briefly glanced downwards to the puddle of water "perhaps manipulating the water will cause us to float towards the switch in the topmost tier, on activating it, the flight of stairs will come up and make our movements easier."

The rest of the members regarded him with amazement.

"Since when did you…you know what never mind, good job Link, it is a well thought out scheme" praised Zack.

Deciding to go east, the troop trooped through a narrow corridor and found themselves in a series of rooms with gears, levers, Lizalfos' and a waterwheel. Whilst the rest were busy fighting water monsters (Zack was having quite fun staring down a chu worm) the twins discreetly rolled underneath the blades of the wheel and disappeared. As Link slashed the final toado, his attention was drawn to the missing nobles.

On the other side, Roxas and Ventus were up to their own devices, finally free from the watchful eyes of adults; Ventus climbed vines, searched for treasure and blasted magic into the water hoping to hit underwater enemies. Roxas did something productive, namely figuring out the purpose of the room. Air gliding across a pocket of water, he ran up a cracked stone bridge, taking note of the red target type things placed at regular intervals. At the top, he found another of those overhanging levers. A torrent of water gushed out when he stimulated the switch.

"They were here a moment ago, where did they run off too?" Link grabbed his windsock of a hat in worry and frustration.

"Relax buddy, knowing the twins, they'll…be back, see" Zack sidestepped as a flood of water caused the wheel to spin, depositing two soaked boys, both with wide mischievous grins on their faces. In contrast Link's expression darkened with anger.

"Where have you two been?" he demanded tersely "the rest of us were sick with worry."

Speak for yourself Link.

Getting up, the twins wrung their coat and looked at him. Ventus like a puppy while Roxas glared in an imitation of Vanitas. It was pretty scary.

"If you checked, I saved you a whole lot of trouble by causing the waterwheel to rotate; this water will fill up the main chamber…all according to your plan." Roxas informed him heatedly.

"Right, sorry, excellent work, but please don't go wandering off on your own. Sora will rework my body structure if something happens to you."

The duo nodded.

"I think your concern for them overrules your fear for Sora, try to be honest next time" Aqua encouraged.

"He's turning red." The ninth ranked knight teased

Taking a page out of Impa's leadership skills, Link commanded his merry knights back into the central room. Sure enough the water level was steadily rising. The team surged forward across the stairs and to the western side, but once he crossed a corridor similar to the eastern side of the temple and found themselves at a dead end. Next, they tried other doors with similar results.

"This temple, though really stunning, sucks!" the soldier exclaimed "what do we do?"

"Go back to the eastern door, I see no other option" Link sighed.

And so they went.

"The gears are spinning, it's a good sign, right?" Ventus quizzed.

The Hylian was puzzling over the clawshot points, disregarding his step; he fell through a gap boarded by interlocking gears.

"LINK!" Aqua screamed while the rest sported horrified looks.

"I'm okay, there is another gear platform here, the easy way down is the gap, the proper way, well I'm not sure."

Joining Link lead to another bout of running around and exploring chambers aimlessly, only one room or rather passageway proved both rewarding and disappointing. Gazing at well-lit area from behind a grill Sheikha suspected the mid-boss lay there, the problem was getting in; so far the gate withstood simultaneous attacks from three respective knights.

"The grate probably opens from the other side. Stay here guys, I'll try and figure something out." Link began backing out of the place.

"Can I come too?" Ventus pleaded.

Cue the hero melting into a puddle of human. But he had to stay strong.

"No Ven, there may be unfound dangers lurking around or water logged passages, you can't breathe underwater, stay here, I'll be back."

Link turned away before he was subjected to the younger twin's pout.

* * *

Almost two hours later Zack murmured into the darkening tunnel.

"He is lost isn't he?"

"Give him some time, for a goat herd, he sure is talented." Aqua spoke

Sheikha dropped a bombshell.

"He's a member of the highest class of nobles. Like the House of Sheikha and Kingdom, his family is tasked with protecting Hyrule and the princess, his father was the previous guard captain and his grandfather was once the leader of the Master Knights."

"Are we talking about our Link? Like the one who gets lost in temples and finds a Spinner amusing?" the ninth ranked knight questioned "you are telling me, he is a noble on par with you guys?" Pointing fingers at Sheikha and the twins, he dissolved into hysterics.

"You can stop laughing" Roxas commanded "Link's parents died while he was very young, he grew up in Ordona"

That cut the laughter like a blackout.

"Does this mean I have to start bowing to him and addressing him as Master Link?"

"No Zack, _Master Link_ would not appreciate it." Sheikha huffed.

Having finally found the correct chamber, Link waded through shin length water and unlocked the metal grate. Focused on relieving his friends from the dark tunnel, he failed to notice a fat, hideous toad perched on the ceiling, following his movements with its bulbous eyes.

The group was rejoicing on being together when they heard a gigantic splash. Whipping around Link drew his sword and shield, the rest of the members flanked him…except Aqua, she stood behind them.

"Aqua, what are you doing?" Ventus probed

"I'm not going to participate in this battle; I don't want Rainfell to be covered in…toad slime." She indicated a disgustingly huge tongue lolling out of the Deku Toad's mouth.

Eww. The rest totally understood her reasons. Zack eyed his Buster sword with concern.

And now the attacking commences.

Ventus flashed to the mid-boss and tried to strike it, with amazing agility; it got up and launched itself to the roof. Once secure, it created an army of baby toads and sent them towards the knights. A spin attack from Link got rid of the majority and the leftovers were taken care of by Sheikha who rained a thousand exploding spikes on the enemies. Zack Fair, who flapped in the water uselessly, was the next target of the Deku toad, it fell from its perch and the poor knight was trapped underneath, arms flailing, face turning blue.

"Someone" he croaked.

Pardon the pun.

The creature simply lay there suffocating its victim, tongue half out of its mouth, the confronting party gazed helplessly, none of them wanted to touch the proffered appendage with their weapons. Spying the Buster sword a few feet away, Link sheathed his own and picked it up. Taking aim, he stabbed the blade viciously into the toad's tongue.

"Nooo" wailed the owner of the sword. "It's covered with slime! LINK!" he wheezed as the monster got off him and returned back to the ceiling.

Roxas was fed up with slovenly assaults. Targeting with his dual key-blades, he unleashed a mega flare, the heat scorched everyone's skin and when the blaze died, they were rewarded with a roasted toad plopping into the steaming water. Mid-boss then dissolved into nothingness.

Link retrieved a clawshot from the treasure chest. Arming himself, he zipped up the room and jumped back down.

"This is probably the closest to flying I could get." He declared happily.

"Yes Link, it's nice to have fun, but we need to camp. It's getting really dark" Sheikha brought him back to reality.

Right.

There was a general agreement to use the central room as camping grounds; two tents were pitched up, one for males, in which it was agreed on Link and Zack bordering the twins during bed time, and another for females. There was one problem, Sheikha's gender was unknown and the appointed leader was too courteous to ask. If he was a male it posed a setback as the men's tent was full.

"Why can't you just tell them? It's no bi-" Zack started to talk but was silenced by a glare.

"I trusted you" Sheikha hissed.

"You have no faith in us, no trust, if you want to leave, go ahead" the normally cheerful member seethed.

It was rare to see Zack angry, as far as he can remember, Link never saw the soldier look so furious.

As Sheikha took off the concealing bandages, the hylian's jaw inched steadily open, once all the bandages and anything covering Sheikha's face was taken off, his maw hit the floor.

Sheikha was utterly gorgeous, as a bonus, she was the spitting image of princess Zelda, albeit a darker version.

"How?" Link was at a loss for words.

"There is no explanation for the way I look, the princess and I, we are mirror images of one another hence I am used as a body double when she is in danger, because of this I have to cover up at all times. Hope you understand." Her voice had a masculine undertone to it.

"We do, since the situation is resolved, go take a rest in Aqua's tent. Let's go to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us." Saying this, Zack trudged back to the tent, and cocooned himself inside a sleeping bag.

Once the twins were fast asleep, the adults carried on a conversation.

"You knew, about Sheikha, correct?"

"Yeah, when I first joined the knights, I was given a mission to prove myself, to scout Snowpeak temple and Sheikha acted as supervisor. Being way too eager, I miscalculated a step and fell down a ravine of snow and as if it wasn't enough I got accosted by snow wolfos. There was blood everywhere. To stem my bleeding, she unwrapped the bandages on her face and used it. Since I owed her for saving my life, I kept quiet…you are so snoring my life history away"

Unbeknownst to the rambling man, Link heard everything he said.

* * *

His eyes popped wide open the moment he saw a bucket of water hovering before him. Link tried to roll away, but too late, he was soaked to the bone, no wait, the Zora tunic was waterproof.

"Geez, does it take a foghorn to wake you up?" Zack zoomed in Link's personal space.

"Is he awake? We need to clear the temple as soon as possible."

From the time Sheikha revealed herself as a female, Link had a hard time trying to process the ninja as a girl, her voice was at the tenor where one was not sure if the speaker was masculine or feminine.

After packing up, the team tackled the western part of the dungeon. Link's life was made easier as he gleefully exploited the clawshot targets while the rest of the gang ran to keep up with him. At least they were making remarkable progress, thought Roxas. The western area was structurally similar to the eastern part; the group climbed vines, killed monsters and eventually huddled at the edge of a little ledge and watched Link swinging underneath the gears like a blue clothed Tarzan.

"Oi, respected leader care to offer some help over here?"

Link landed on the platform, kicking up a cloud of dust. No one was impressed.

The following minutes were spent ferrying knights across a chasm, Link finished transporting the twins and his buddy Zack and now stood awkwardly before Aqua and Sheikha, he tried not to think about grabbing their waists.

"Aqua and I will warp, thank you"

She seized the blue haired knight's arm and dispersed into a stream of shadows. Link remained on the ledge feeling stupid.

At the western waterwheel Roxas and Ventus were tasked to rid the chamber of enemies. Dual blades whirling, the elder twin sent them to slice enemies in half. Ven threw his key-blade and called upon winds to direct in an arc. Wind raid, one of his lethal and favorite attacks.

Meanwhile, Zack and Link tried to squeeze in under the wheel, Link managed fine however Zack was too stubborn to remove the Buster sword and roll through. In vexation, he grabbed the blade edge of the sword and pulled, Zack came slithering as well, an unrelenting grip on his sword.

In the bridge area there was a race to the top. Link won the competition as he grappled his way across, as soon as the soldier was almost at the top, Link yanked the lever and his friend slipped on the incoming water and rode a waterslide all the way down, without further ado, he too jumped in. Akin to the twin nobles, a pair of grinning adults was deposited at Sheikha's feet.

"Let's do it again Link, that was awesome." Zack pleaded

Forty five minutes later and soaking wet, Roxas, Ventus and Zack shivered alongside Link and two fuming females.

"This is the last time Link will choose his own party. Next I'll request Sora to pick members for him." Aqua grudged.

"Spoil sport, you should've joined us Aqua, worry not, Zack Fair will keep you safe." He was compensated for his generosity by Aqua freezing his hair spikes.

The central staircase was filled with water. Taking Ventus with him, Link waded as far as he could then floated to the top, hoisting the boy on his shoulders, he instructed Ven to clutch the switch and hang from it. It clicked, the water swooshed away while the rest of the team scrambled up the stairs as it rotated another floor up.

"What a disappointment, the chest won't open or do anything…and I hear something beating inside it, like a heart of s-" His commentary was abruptly interrupted when Sheikha gripped him by the collar and proceeded to drag him away.

"Focus Link, our task was to defeat the boss and find traces of Ganondorf, not to be obsessed with rusted treasure chests. Look, Aqua has already unlocked the boss chamber"

Sheikha then warped across leaving Link to swim alone. As he surfaced in front of the boss chamber he was acutely aware of a dozen or so skullfish hanging on to his rear, with their teeth. Fortunately, the chainmail prevented any permanent damage, taking out his sword; he performed a swipe and cut the fishes in half.

He hoped that no one saw this embarrassing episode.

Fighting Morpheel turned to be a challenge because the creature fought underwater. Improvising, Aqua created bubble helmets instead of an entire body barrier. This enabled the members to fight but drag made reflexes and timed attacks useless. Ventus launched his blade and observed gloomily as resistance slowed the weapon to a snail's pace. Peeking at Link, who was standing on the sandy floor with his iron boots, he gasped on seeing a singular eyeball rise from a pit in the sand, like a mechanical snake, the clawshot shot out and pierced the eye, thereafter Link slashed it into tiny bits.

"I doubt this means the end of the battle" Aqua murmured.

"No, I can still sense it" the knight replied.

As the second form of Morpheel burst from the sand everyone save for Link recoiled. A scaly serpentine monster, with rows of razor sharp teeth decorating its gap of a mouth. On its back a singular yellow eye ball rolled around in a socket. The aquatic creature swam around in a semi-circle, then opened a cavernous jaw and began sucking in water and anyone unlucky enough to be in range. The luckless person was Link. Unable to resist, he spiraled into Morpheel's mouth along with a stream of water, the jaws clamped shut, Link's shield arm hung limply, impaled with a giant tooth.

The water tinged red.

Shaking themselves out of a stupor, the rest attacked. Aqua had the foresight to freeze the thing, Zack and Sheikha hacked the main body, cracking the thin layer of ice and dealing damage. Holding his two key-blades like spears, Roxas performed a sonic blade, skewering the monster repeatedly till it thawed and propelled itself far from the group. Likewise, the team repositioned themselves around the creature and assaulted it once more.

The fourth ranked knight reeled to Morpheel and raised her key-blade. An aerial slash threw the monster out of the water, Sheikha warped to the air and kicked it violently to one side where it collided against a far wall and slid to the floor. Zack surfaced with an unfathomable expression. Handling the Buster sword with two hands, he sliced his blade crosswise and served head from body. Thereafter he pried the maw open and pulled out a bloodied, half conscious Link, who kept himself alive by sticking his Master sword into the beast's palate. The mark of the triforce was glowing faintly. Weakly giving a thumbs up, Link feebly pronounced:

"Lakebed temple cleared, no sign Ganondorf."

And he fainted.


	17. Chapter 17: Reliving a nightmare

AN: The spirits of Fanfiction are being kind to me. Virtual pizza and heartfelt gratitude to EnigmaticHero98, Firespirit101 and Quasitable for favorite-ing my story. Thank you very much for reading. (POWER!)

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I owneth not the franchise of Legend of Zelda or Kingdom hearts. I own this fanfic, may it soar to greater heights.

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Chapter 17: Reliving a nightmare

Sora was tired of running around all over Hyrule, the previous day Impa contacted him and relayed that the search for prince Ralis had been unsuccessful, taking note of Ganondorf's obvious threats, he commanded Impa to standby at the castle while he and Auru continued their search, it has been two days and still Ralis eluded discovery. Rubbing sore eyes, he sat down heavily on the grass and plunged his aching legs in a stream.

"Auru, any idea where he might be?"

He received no response.

Turning around he observed the aged knight fast asleep.

An hour later, the first knight was woken up by a gentle shaking, wiping drool off the corner of his mouth, he splashed his face and composed himself somewhat, thereafter he faced his subordinate.

"You want to say something?"

"Sir, it would seem prince Ralis has been found mourning at his mother's grave in Kakariko village, if we move now we might see him."

He didn't need anyone to tell him, forcing space to tear, he and Auru traversed the passage and sure enough, on the other side stood a startled Zora prince. There were tears shining in the boy's eyes and he kept a guarded expression. Walking closer, Sora knelt down, gave a reassuring smile and began to speak to the Zora. Auru disappeared to give them some privacy.

"Prince, I know you are going through an extremely difficult time now, your mother was an excellent leader and she wanted you to be the same. This sounds harsh but Zora's domain is not safe for you, please come to Hyrule with me and if you want to visit your mother, I'll ask a knight to personally escort you every day if need be."

Ralis stared into Sora's eyes; such sincerity coming from a stranger was inexplicable. His mother would tell stories about these knights which were led by an illustrious and loyal leader. It was a bit flattering to meet one in flesh nevertheless he had made up his mind on what to do. Despite this person's request, he could not go to Hyrule.

"T-thank you very much for offering me protection, I apologize because I will not be able to comply with your request. I have to go back to Zora's domain, my people…they need me." He swallowed thickly "I ran away at first since I was confused and scared…but I have responsibility to my kingdom. Visiting my mother's grave gave me courage. I…I hope you understand sir."

Sora got up.

"I understand, at least allow me to come to you to your kingdom, the Zora's will be overjoyed to see you again."

* * *

The knights around the table tired not to look at their leader. His hair was stuck up in odd angles (isn't that normal?), the clothes were dirt smudged and torn and he had bags underneath his eyes.

To be frank, he resembled a healthy zombie.

"Link, your report please" he spoke, struggling not to fall on the table and snooze. He also noted Link covered in bandages.

The knight got up.

"Master Sora, the Lakebed temple has been cleared, however there was no sign of Ganondorf"

"Hmm, I see. What happened to you? Were you seriously wounded?"

"No sire, the boss monst-"

The door to the knights' chamber opened violently and a messenger rushed in.

"I have an emergency report to Master Link" he announced "Ordon village has been attacked and is now burning, the children sir, have all been kidnapped by King Bulbin and are presumed dead."

Hearing this, the Hylian wasted no time. Pushing back his chair fiercely, he ran out of the chamber without permission, a pained and enraged look on his face. Zack, fearing for his friend stood up as well.

"Well Master Sora, I'll just go check on Link, you know, keep an eye on his so he does not do anything stupid."

Saying this, he too left, in a fashion similar to Link.

The leader blinked. Never did anyone leave the knights room without consent. This was a first.

"Aqua, judging by the appearance on your face, you want to go as well?" he sighed

"Yes sir" the blue haired knight replied.

"Fine, Vanitas go with her, quoting Zack, your mission is to make sure Link does not do anything stupid. Dismissed."

Sora then cast a glare quailing the twins' expectant looks.

* * *

"Wait up Link!"

Said person paid no attention, untying Epona; he vaulted on her and rode as fast as he could all the way to Ordona village. The wind stung his eyes and whipped his hair; nonetheless he persisted on galloping wildly. Once he entered the gates he smelt and saw smoke. Jumping off Epona and rolling to avoid an injured knee, he hurtled to the main area and nearly dropped dead.

The fires were out, black smoke curled from the ruined remains of houses and shops. Once more, Link inhaled acrid fumes. He walked in slowly, somewhere, a wooden beam fell, charred grass drifted in a breeze. The little brook, which supplied plentiful clean water, now housed debris and wreckage.

"Oh no" gasped a voice

The hero looked back to see Vanitas, Aqua and Zack standing behind him. He attempted to speak but no words came out. Feeling gentle hands grabbing on to his tunic, he rotated to a sobbing Uli.

"Link the children are taken, my Colin…"

The rest of the villagers emerged. Most of them were shell-shocked, soot covered and depressed. They cried, smearing tears and ash. It painted a disheartened sight.

Pergie stepped forward, shaking.

"Please find them Link, Talo…Malo, they must be so scared. The monster, it rode a boar and…and it started a fire, in the commotion it took all the children. Ilia as well."

Link's countenance hardened.

"I will find them and bring them back" clearing his throat he continued "mark my words, whoever did this will pay."

Off to the side, Vanitas appreciated the way Link bared his fangs.

Aiming to brush past his comrades, Link was not surprised when Aqua stopped him.

"Link, you have to come back, Master Sora will see to this pro-"

"I'm sorry, I will not be returning to Hyrule unless the children are found and my village is safe" he responded curtly.

Zack pointed a thumb to himself "I'm going with him"

The fourth knight was really torn in her decisions, she wanted to go with Link as well but responsibility dictated her to bring him back to Hyrule.

"Master Vanitas what ar-"

Vanitas grinned like a Cheshire cat, "As the highest ranked member amongst us, it is my duty to keep Link alive."

It was totally not Aqua's day today.

As he mounted Epona a second time, Link asked the villagers to point him in the direction the monster went. He then departed like a rocket. Zack climbed onto Aqua's rider whilst Vanitas, after realizing he had no transport, grudgingly sat with them. The metal bike swayed.

"If I fall, I'll destroy this thing." He growled.

He was ignored.

There was an unspoken fact circulating the knights table: beware of Link when he is angry. The three of them spied a green blur whizzing across the field, chasing a huge boar with a monstrous creature mounted on it. Urging the bike to get closer, they got a good view of what Link planned to do; it was not good for anyone's heart.

Leveling Epona with Lord Bulbo, the livid knight armed himself with his bow and rained a shower of arrows, which unfortunately all deflected thanks to the thick armor King Bulbin wore. Frustrated, he steered his horse closer and unsheathed his sword, locating a chink, he bored his sword there and leapt cleanly off Epona, sending her bolting to safety while he hung on for dear life. Lord Bulbo buckled wildly, attempting to disengage Link. For his part, the Hylian grabbed on to one of the leather straps and climbed on, seating himself at the back of King Bulbin. He then gripped the horns decorating the beast's helmet and began wrestling with it. An elbow landed forcefully in his gut courtesy of King Bulbin, this sent Link and the helmet crashing to the ground.

Discarding the piece of armor, he willed himself into a wolf and tore after the creature, growling and panting heavily. Jumping up, he aimed to land on the boar's back; instead he was drawn upwards and hung there limply.

He fixed his blue eyes on the group of knights below him as he slowly floated down.

"Turn back into a human, we need to discuss tactics." Vanitas commanded.

A bleeding tenth ranked knight sat on the ground.

"Firstly think, the villagers said this thing took the children, so why aren't the brats with him? Secondly we need to work together to get rid of the beast, so, Aqua and Zack, stand back as reinforcement. Link will provide support if I need it and _I'll_ do the attacking." Smirked Vanitas, clearly happy with his plan.

"Sir, the deal was to work together, not for you to enjoy a fight. You and Link will be the assault team and as agreed, Zack and I will provide reinforcement."

The noble scowled.

"Whatever"

One black corridor later, a dark firaga sent King Bulbin careering into the dirt. Vanitas focused his attention on the rampaging boar and performed a warp on it. The fiend vanished from existence. Turning around, he observed Link being smacked by a giant blade and flying into a random direction. Cloaking himself with darkness, he charged.

Against all odds, King Bulbin withstood Vanitas' dark haze. Teleporting to a safe distance, he was joined by Link, who stood next to him and squinted at their enemy running closer. Holding his shield with one hand and the sword with the other, he too rushed meeting the monster head on. Performing a shield attack, Link rolled in a semi-circle and executed a perfect back slash. While stunned, Vanitas took the opportunity to unleash a series of slashes that left King Bulbin into a bloody pulp, as the third knight drew away; Link dove in and implemented a mortal draw. A torrent of blood sprang up and left the monster barely alive, however, the hero was unsatisfied, driving the tip of the Master sword into the creature's chest he vehemently snarled:

"Where are the children? Answer me properly and I won't have to kill you."

"…Peasant, I don't think it can spe-"

"They are in a caravan headed for the Gerudo mesa, there is a bulbin camp, you will most likely find them there" he rasped.

Silence.

"It…talked" Zack relayed.

Link was a bit less impressed. "We leave for Gerudo desert immediately" he announced.

* * *

He desperately needed a head massage, instead he had to content himself with a pair of solemn twins staring at him with glassy eyes.

"Roxas, Ven you need to keep your relationship with Link to a minimum, us nobles do not have the privilege of mingling with people freely."

Roxas' eye twitched. He completely forgot about the link Sora practically forced them to share, it was a double edged weapon, very handy in some instances and in other times, damning.

Or maybe Vanitas decided enough was enough and told Sora about the incident occurring in their mansion.

Nah, big brother Vanitas was not like that.

"Roxas, pay attention!"

The elder twin focused his blank gaze on Sora, a spark of defiance in contrast to Ventus' teary look.

"If you were home, we wouldn't have to search for friends. It's lonely being alone." He droned.

The oldest and youngest sons of the house of kingdom froze. Literally. One in disbelief, the other in fear.

"I'm currently in a predicament" he answered stiffly "as soon as I get princess Zelda back to normal, the first thing I'll do is to come home, I promise, for now I do not want to hear or sense you two wasting your time with Link again, understood?"

"Yes sir" replied the duo.

On walking out of Sora's study Ventus murmured to his twin:

"I feel as if big brother is changing, like he is getting further away from us."

Glancing back to see Sora with his head down on the table Roxas responded:

"Must be hard to be a hero."

* * *

Zack found spit-fire roasts to be rather fashionable and it was his dream to one-day partake in one, except now. A girl was gagged and tied to a rod and suspended over a fire, she dangled unconsciously, which was good for her, if she were awake and aware of her surroundings, permanent nightmares would plague her sleep.

Around the camp, several bulbins and a bulbo or two, stopped their munching of meat (from questionable sources) and regarded the four knights with a mixture of awe and disgust. It was not everyday humans sauntered into their humble home, they must be either very stupid, brave or hungry. In the case of hunger, there was fresh produce therefore these people were welcome

Or not.

Discarding a bone, a bulbin picked his club and roared. The roar died down as a bluish-grey beast clamped its jaws down on his neck.

"Ugh, I miss the days when Link wasn't this violent." Aqua voiced her thoughts, Zack nodded.

"I think we are going to be good friends." Vanitas joined Link in wreaking havoc.

Zack and Aqua merely watched as twin distortions swept the camp. Vanitas was smears of black and red whilst Link, being slower appeared as streaks of blue and grey, both doing unaccountable damage to the area.

"I'm going to sit this one out, don't want Vanitas to lop my head off by mistake, or get bitten by Link." Zack said.

This time, Aqua nodded her head.

After numerous crates were smashed, the camp trashed and bulbins resorted to vanishing puffs. Link doggedly put out the fire burning under Ilia and untied her with numb fingers; his eyes were still dilating and shrinking rapidly making his vision hazy. Carrying her far from the fire, he set her down on the sand and proceeded to untie the rest of the children with so much care, a passerby could assume he was their bigger brother. Once he finished gathering the children together, he directed his notice to the knights.

"Do any of you have anything to heal them? Or at least bandages?" he asked

"I've got poti-" Zack began.

"Curaga" Aqua commanded and all the injuries disappeared in a sparkle of green light.

Colin woke up to see Link staring down at him, his entire body ached, sitting up with support from the Hylian, the boy swept his eyes around the place and perceived his friends all leaning against Link in various positions, standing around the posse were a trio of dangerous looking people. One wielded a sword that was impossibly wide and long, another spiky haired dude sported the most unusual irises and a bored look and the third was a female, pretty, although her metal boots with pointed tips did not look friendly.

"Where am I? Link what is happening?"

The knight smiled kindly.

"Don't worry Colin, you're safe now, when the others gain consciousness we'll leave for Ordona."

"I was scared" Colin whispered "a huge man with orange hair rode in our village this morning along with a team of monsters; he set a fire and left…the monsters they took us. Ilia, wanted to protect me…I couldn't do anything." He started sobbing in the end, hugging Link tightly; in response the older male squeezed him comfortingly.

"Shh, everything is okay, the others are safe." He cooed.

Ilia and the others came to a strange scene. Link covered in blood, his arms around a crying Colin, sitting in a middle of a desert. She was so relieved to see Link and the children safe, she almost fainted again. Shuffling closer to him, she failed to see the other knights standing guard a few feet away.

"That Ilia there looks kinda attractive right?"

"Seriously Zack? We witnessed the destruction of a town, children being kidnapped, Link potentially turning into a second Vanitas and all you care about is how nice a girl LOOKS?" her voice rang higher with every word she spoke.

"I take offense to being compared with a commoner; nonetheless, his fighting skills are admirable" Vanitas commented.

Aqua marched forward with a steely gaze, putting a hand on Link's shoulder she stated:

"Lets head back"

He didn't get up from his spot.

"…Aqua give Master Sora a message, tell him that I won't be returning to Hyrule for a while, I need to help rebuild Ordona village, I'll be back in a week" He muttered.

Both Aqua and Zack were horrified, if Link kept on doing this, he will be expelled from the knights.

"Listen Link, please, I understand your feelings but Master Sora is strict, you left without permission and are disobeying direct orders at this rate he will e-"

Vanitas interjected and drew Aqua away.

"Its fine, my brother will understand. We'll be leaving now."

And the trio of knights departed.


	18. Chapter 18: Back Home

AN: Thank you to Garion1 for favorite-ing and alerting my story, I shall keep on forging ahead for you guys :D (POWER!)

Anyway please read and review, sorry for the late update, I was sick in bed with a fever and I was hallucinating...not cool. (On the bright side, those hallucinations gave me some neat story ideas, weird huh?)

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ nor Kingdom hearts and Sora is a cheerful ball of fluff.

* * *

Chapter 18: Back home

"I'm getting a headache trying to process your message, repeat it again." Sora commanded.

The leader of the knights was definitely unhappy.

Seeing the composed female knight quake a bit, Vanitas stood up.

"He can't come because he wants to help rebuild his village, is that clear enough for you brother?" the brunette snarked.

"Yes, the next time our tenth ranked knight finds himself in a disciplinary hearing, I'll make it my personal mission to have him expelled" he seethed "not even Zelda will be able to save him."

Around the table sat the rest with white faces, even Ashei didn't dare interrupt their leader's ranting.

Sora took deep breaths, there was a time Link bowed when talking to him, now he runs off without permission. His reasons were understandable though, the problem lay with the council, as much as the knights are trained to defend, they also need to present a public image of law and order, unfortunately for Sora, the person chosen to save Hyrule was the same hero who was currently in total disregard of the Master knights' principles.

"Vanitas, open a dark corridor, we're going to pay Ordon village a visit."

"Why sir?" asked Ashei.

She was one brave woman.

Flashing a smug smile the first knight replied:

"Why…to give him a piece of my mind of course"

The room suddenly dropped a few degrees in temperature.

* * *

Hefting a wooden beam on his shoulder Link's face curved into a grin as he watched Colin scurry back and forth doing various errands. The village was a hive of activity as everyone pitched in to do their share of rebuilding. Rusl and Jaggle fixed damaged buildings while Hanch cheered them on. Mayor Bo oversaw the reconstruction and removed debris, Fado and Link ferried wooden beams and other heavy materials where needed and the children either stood around, like Malo, or did something useful similar to Talo and Colin.

Feeling a presence Link swerved around, wooden beam still on his shoulder. Sora managed to keep his head by stopping the momentum of the beam with his hand. His face might've had the character for death written on it because at the moment he looked like a messenger of doom. Link's arms jellified as his superior knocked the beam of his shoulder.

"The rest of you, assist with the reconstruction of the village. Link and I are going to have a personal chat."

The knights scattered like ants.

To Beth, the past few days felt like a dream. First the burning down of her house and village presented a terrible nightmare. Second, being rescued by Link was a slightly happier dream and now seeing the members of the Master Knights, specifically Roxas and Ventus from the House of Kingdom…it was unbelievable. She dropped the pail she carried on her feet, but the pain did not register.

Vanitas glared at a plank and willed it to move, no way was he touching it, manual labor was beneath him. As he contemplated on whether he should help out or not Impa burst into his thoughts.

"Master Vanitas, gawking at the board will not move it; we all know you are not capable of telekinesis so get to work."

He scowled once more and moved to where Ven and Roxas used magic to help Bo clear out fallen bricks and broken rafters.

With Sora and Link, the two were currently in a staring contest, the tenth rank's eyes shifted in guilt whilst his leader's bright blue ones seemed to peer in his soul. It gave Link an uncomfortable feeling. Like he committed some heinous crime.

"Lead to a place less noisy and more private"

The blonde meekly carried out his orders. Leading himself and Sora to Ordon springs, he peeked at the first knight and observed how he was enthralled by the scenic scenery. Perhaps the beauty of this place will render the leader speechless.

"Link" Sora began.

Okay, no such luck there.

"I am disappointed in you, the disciplinary hearing I could understand however your blatant neglect of rules I cannot."

"Sire, my friends were about to become bulbin food, I managed to save them in the nick of time"

"I don't want excuses!" Sora hissed "I did not send two high ranking knights for nothing, Vanitas or Aqua alone could take care of the children and any monsters in their path, unfortunately you went on a rampage, my brother joined you and Aqua had to stand back with Zack in order to not get killed by accident. I expect such behavior from my brother… not from a triforce bearer. Courage should not render you fearless. It will do you well to remember that the absence of fear creates disrespect."

"Yes sir. I am terribly sorry, please forgive me." Link bowed humbly.

Tilting his head complacently Sora looked at Link.

"You are hereby expelled from the knights" he declared.

Eh?

From his position, the Hylian's eyes grew wide as saucers, his chest constricted and when he raised his head to see if Sora was joking, his stomach twisted into knots on observing the knight's face as completely serious. Never did he think his leader would be this cruel. Unable to support his weight, Link dropped to the ground.

"…is what I'd like to say, regrettably Zelda will not be pleased, so you are suspended till further notice. Reflect on your actions. For the duration of your suspension, you are to join and help the castle guards in their duties."

Showing a comforting half-grin, Sora vanished into a corridor.

Link did not move from his place, to get the typically neutral leader this angry was a personal triumph, although he won't be bragging about it to anyone. He stewed in his thoughts, Sora describing his actions as a rampage was correct, while he was hunting down King Bulbin he lost himself in the thrill of a good fight, the injuries he received were nothing compared to the sheer pleasure of almost killing the monster. His heart throbbed a violent and brutal rhythm and he let himself be caught it. The Hylian shivered at how naturally good it felt to tear beasts into pieces.

'I was trying to protect the children' his conscious argued back.

"The absence of fear creates disrespect" he said out loud.

This sentence made little sense to Link while he was being lectured; now it all became clear. What Sora meant was not disregard for laws (though he suspected at least part of it meant the rules), rather the indifference to life, whether one's own or another creature's. Ganondorf, the holder of the triforce of power was fearless and look what kind of person he turned out to be. Resolving to put a lid on his growing battle-lust by thinking of Ganondorf every time he went into combat, Link steered his thought process in a different direction.

He was pretty sure Guard captain Rusl will not be happy to hear this bit of news, at least the punishment was not overly harsh; he could visit his friends whenever he wanted.

Provided he does not enter the knight's room.

Briefly wondering about his experience as a knight, he moped at his demotion as a castle guard. As his head finally emptied out, he flopped back on the grass and closed his eyes, falling fast asleep.

* * *

"Aeroga" shouted Ventus gleefully.

A huge gust of wind whipped up a pile of wreckage and carted it off to Roxas who demolished them in an inferno. The twins worked seamlessly. Beth stood nearby and marveled at them despite the fiery explosion a few feet away from her. A dark corridor opened up close to the twins and out stepped Sora, unlike his brothers, he went over and started picking up rubble with his bare hands. Time figuratively slowed down as anyone watching him suffered from simultaneous strokes. Ventus' mouth hung open and his spell died down, raining plaster, wood and dirt a bit further, on a landing, Ashei dropped the bricks she was carrying, one of them landing on a fossilized Zack's head who shut his mouth in response. Mayor Bo's arms became slack, Fado almost fell from a crude scaffolding, Rusl did fall off a ladder whilst Jaggle ignored him in favor of gawping at Sora. Hanch was pecked by a team of hawks and near the stream Sera's cat meowed.

The heir to the house of Kingdom was acutely aware of the world's attention on him. Right now, the last thing he wanted was to be ogled at like a museum artifact.

"Is there anything wrong with a knight doing community work?" he stood still and asked.

Bo stepped up.

"No Master Sora, we appreciate your help, it's just, well…I'd never expect you to carry building remains with your hands."

"I built my own raft once I was ten years old and left home at eleven. Just because I am a noble now does not mean I forgot where I came from" saying this, he continued on his merry way.

Roxas meandered over to his twin.

"Did big brother lose his brains? After all the lecturing of us having to act like nobles and blah blah blah, he goes and does this?"

Ventus nodded wisely. "He probably did not feel the need to keep a visage up, its undoubtedly tiring to act royal all the time, Sora gets no breaks. Must be hard to be a hero."

Roxas' face morphed into one of pity.

As soon as Sora deposited his load on the ground and summoned his blade, a dark energy consumed the wreckage before him. Looking up he saw Vanitas.

"I can see the headlines tomorrow: Prince Sora picks up rubbish. It has a nice ring to it." He spat venomously.

"Go away Vanitas, I'm busy helping people." The first knight childishly exclaimed.

Suddenly Vanitas was nine years old.

'Go away Vans, I'm busy helping people"

Nine year old Vanitas did indeed go away, one hour later, after throwing a fit which consisting of crying, rolling around in beach sand and demanding his older brother to carry him. Obviously Sora obeyed, placating him with kind words and a treat of ice-cream the elder brother hoisted him on his back and carried him half-way home.

In a way, Sora was the least spoilt of all of them.

"Did you have to work here?" he demanded a bit softly.

"Yes, I need a break, since I have no business in our universe, I can't go there and I wasn't thinking straight, I picked those stones up by reflex" Sora sported a silly grin "this reminds me of those times in Destiny Island, building a raft, you almost hammered a nail in your thumb, remember Vanitas?"

The black haired boy blushed.

"Don't remind me." He growled

"Aww Vanitas, when was the last time I saw you blush huh?" chuckled his older brother "Hey, I know, you can help me, come on Vanitas it'll be like old times" Vanitas was seized by the arm and unwillingly dragged into work he did not want to do.

If fairytale endings existed it'd look like the scene Link currently gazed on. It was a bit past noon, Ordon village was slowly but surely regaining its former glory as a mixture of villagers and knights worked together. Bricks flew past and aligned themselves perfectly into a wall; the little stream had sparkling water running in it. He was surprised to see Colin and Beth urging the twins to splash in it, however, they merely watched from a distance. The most astonishing picture was one of Sora balancing on the very top of a ladder and aiding out with construction work whereas a disgruntled Vanitas supplied his brother with building materials.

Link was not sure whether to step in or not. He might ruin his superior's mood by his presence. Slinking along an edge, he tried to blend in with the surroundings, alas, Talo spied him from who knows where and let out a shrill scream:

"LIIIIINNKK"

The knight froze as people came up to him and dragged him back to lugging sticks and stones. His earlier solemnness petered out to be replaced by contentment.

Home is definitely where the heart is.

* * *

"Your attack on the village did some damage it appears."

It was not exactly praise, still Ganondorf smirked.

"The brat is out of range, I look forward to having a waltz with our royal princess. Although I have to send her guard on a fool's errand, do something about that spiky abomination"

Xehanort tried to snicker, instead he wheezed hideously.

Apparently he suffers from bronchitis.

Or Asthma.

"Don't worry about Sora, there is a special guest already waiting for him."


	19. Chapter 19: Mundane duties

AN: It's my cousin's birthday guys :D *cheers* There will be cake...well not really but yeah.

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ nor KH. If I did, Donald would heal Sora more often.

* * *

Chapter 19: Mundane duties.

Putting on a medieval style helmet, Link gripped his spear and scrutinized his appearance before a full body mirror.

He looked like a dork.

Unlike the green tunic he was accustomed to wearing, the guards' uniform was scratchy and his head boiled inside the helmet. To sum it up, the getup was extremely uncomfortable. He also hated the bib; unfortunately it was mandatory because the Hylian crest was stamped on it.

Rusl walked into the room and Link froze.

"Hmm, who is this? You are very early today." He queried.

The new recruit turned around mechanically and lifted his helmet. Rusl's eyebrows joined his hairline as he observed Link.

"Link my boy what are you doing here? Sora will skin you if you neglect your knightly duties to play around like this."

The statement pierced the hylian's soul. How could his foster father deal such damage?

"Uh…the thing is, I've been demoted" he mock saluted "my punishment was to join the Castle guards and do guard duty."

"WHAT!?"

After Rusl calmed down, Link related how he was suspended from the Master Knights. The captain of the guards nodded his head sympathetically and smiled at Link who went into slight depression as he narrated his tale. Clapping the youth on the back the captain lead him through the streets of Castle town and down a back alley to a suspicious looking bar and the duo entered.

"Greetings Telma let me introduce you to Link, a new member."

Telma gave Link a look-over and winked. In response, Link recoiled and his eye began twitching.

In his study Sora sneezed. Zelda immediately rushed to get him a tissue.

Feeling something brush against his leg, Link peered down to see a fat white cat walking back and forth between his limbs, squatting down; he petted the little animal while Rusl and Telma discussed something. Once the matter finished, Rusl moved over and gave the cat a few strokes.

"Come on Link, back to the castle, the rest of the guards have arrived by now. I'll inform you of your duty."

The former knight followed Rusl without a word.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't have a cold?"

"No Zelda, I'm fine, it was only a sneeze." He pacified her.

"I see, please be safe and come back as soon as possible."

Sora was already halfway out the door.

"Right I'll bring flowers, see y-" the sentence went unfinished as he leapt into a corridor.

At Disney Castle, the first knight seated himself next to Riku and unceremoniously flopped on the table. Riku enquired what had happened the previous day to make Sora so dispassionate. His best friend recalled his assistance in rebuilding a village, all this was done with his face squished on the surface of the table so some of Sora's words came out as a garbled mess, the fact didn't stop Riku from fully understanding though.

An hour later the wielder of Kingdom key was woken up by Mickey's voice. Sitting up straighter he focused his attention on the ongoing meeting and cast a small scowl at his friend.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked so peaceful with your face covered in drool, I did not have the heart to disturb you." The silver haired answered.

"Very funny Riku"

Riku offered a lopsided grin in return.

"Key-blade master Sora, your report please" droned Yen Sid.

"Right, I'll get the bad news out first. I suspended one of my knights; he is Link the chosen one I spoke about. Ganondorf set his village on fire and kidnapped the children, this triggered a rage and he behaved like Vanitas. He is doing guard duty and hopefully reflecting on his actions. The good news, with the help of my knights, we managed to rebuild Ordon village in a day. It was both exhausting and fulfilling."

Donald spoke up.

"This Link fellow sounds a lot like you before you joined the knights."

Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I guess so"

Yen Sid interrupted their friendly banter by delivering unpleasant information:

"There seems to be some commotion in Olympus Coliseum. Hades has returned."

The table erupted in a chorus of how's and why's.

Mickey held up his hands for silence.

"As for how, we suspect Xehanort and why Hades has returned is a question only he can answer as well. Sora I know you are tired but please pay Hercules a visit. Riku go with him"

Olympus Coliseum looked the same. Tall pillars, wide open spaces, a tier of seats for the spectators and an injured Hercules pacing around with Phil running hot on the hero's heels. Perfectly normal.

Or not.

"What happened?" queried Riku

"Hades happened" Hercules replied "he closed the coliseum gates and barred himself in the Underworld. I tried opening the gateways and you can see how well it worked out." He gestured to his broken arm.

It took the trio a while to notice the disappearance of their friend.

The first knight peered through the bars and into the dim area in front. An ominous energy emanated from within and he managed to recoil in time as Cerberus, the three- headed hell hound, lashed out from the gloom and snapped his jaws. Joining the dog was its master, announcing his presence with a cacophony of evil sounding laughter.

Hades, powerful, obnoxious and blue as ever.

"You cannot break this gate down princess" he taunted "oh sorry, prince, right I forgot. Anyway, this area was created specifically to thwart you key-blade wielders and none of you can…"

The god of death kept on yammering as Sora spun around and began walking away. Realizing his solo audience was bored and leaving, Hades exploded, turning himself fire red.

"GET BACK HERE! I FINALLY GE-"

"Shut up Hades," the irate knight screamed "I'll get someone to deal with you, sit tight and plan the destruction of Hercules or something"

Sora reconvened with his friends and related the problem of key-blades being useless against the barricade. He offered to bring a team of knights and send the god packing home immediately. No use in waiting another day.

The rest agreed and privately wondered how this goofball managed to strategize a decent plan in such a small amount of time.

"Probably Zelda's influence" Hercules mused.

The key-blade master's head shot up.

"What about Zelda? Speaking of her I need a bunch of flowers, Phil, could you get me some?"

"No way kiddo, I ain't giving flowers to a man!" the goat man exclaimed.

"They are for Zelda…wait why are you making such faces?"

Both Hercules and his mentor sported stupid grins. Pulling out a bouquet of roses from hammer-space, Phil presented them to Sora.

"And make sure to buy her nice things, ya hear me?"

But the brunette was already stepping into a portal. Seems like he was doing a lot of ignoring today.

* * *

Marching in formation was the most exciting duty of the guard knights. Link was slightly peeved at how utterly monotonous his job was and sent a brief prayer above asking forgiveness from his dad. Swinging his free arm vigorously, the Hylian sweltered in the sun and followed the other guards as they circled around Castle Town's fountain, paraded several times in front of Hyrule castle (during these times Link gazed longingly at its open doors), trooped through main roads, back alleys and into Telma's bar.

Again.

There was a bar brawl going on. Breathing heavily in his helmet, the hero leaned against his issued spear and watched distastefully as his squad leader cowered when a table flew over his head. Instead of standing up to the drunken man, the guard merely quaked. Deciding to take some responsibility, Link stepped forward and commanded the perpetrator to stand down. The man stared as if the guards of Hyrule grew second heads.

"Who the hell are youuu?" the brute slurred, spraying the helmet with saliva.

After the spit shower died down, Link took off the headpiece, revealing eyes of a beast. Staggering back, the brawler pointed a shaking finger and spoke:

"H-He is the tenth ranked knight, what is one of the members of the Master Knights doing here?"

Oh the shame. So news of his suspension wasn't yet publicized. Better use the opportunity then.

"I'm currently undercover" the demoted knight lied shamelessly "if you don't stop these disruptions, I'll personally deal with you. You know Master Sora, he urges us to see our jobs right to the end. Clean up your mess and act cordially to others."

Outside, the leader patted Link and praised him for his courage. Giving the rest of the day off, the grateful hero flew to the castle in order to get a glimpse of his friends. Regrettably, the door to the knights' chamber was shut and he could distinctly hear Sora talking, probably issuing a new operation. With a heavy heart, he left the area.

Inside the room, Ashei eyed the garland of red roses Sora deposited on the table. Planning to coerce the first knight into giving them to her she sat down and plotted.

"I'm sure you all noticed Link's absence. I will get straight to the point. He has been suspended for his behavior and will not be sitting with us until further notice"

…Or maybe the flowers could go to whoever their irritated leader wanted to give it to. Ashei and the knights blanched unanimously. This guy was getting harsher by the day.

Apparently Sora was not done yet, as he began to speak, he was interrupted by Impa who relayed a problem faced by the Zora kingdom. It seems as if a beast is plaguing them and Prince Ralis had asked the leader of the Master Knights to aid them.

"Is the problem serious Impa?" Sora queried.

"I do not know sir. The prince insisted for you, he might be scared."

"Fine I'll go" he sighed "Impa, there is trouble in the Olympus coliseum. I want you to go there with a team, but no key-bladers as we are useless. You will be briefed by Riku on your mission. As for me, Ashei and Aqua will accompany me to Zora's domain. We move now."

Aqua and Ashei entered the dark corridor behind their leader and alighted in the throne room where a startled young prince stood. Upon seeing Ralis, Sora smiled kindly and went closer to him.

"How are you doing Ralis? I'm here to help" he offered.

The Zora prince grinned in return. Once the group was comfortably seated, Ralis related how Zora's Kingdom was victims of recent attacks. The culprit was a large beast who stole fish on a daily basis. It left huge foot prints and despite its size, none of the Zora's ever glimpsed it. It is speculated that the creature makes an appearance at night so sentries were posted to look out for it. Alas, even with these precautions, the monster evaded capture.

"Has the thing ever hurt anyone?" Ashei piped up.

"No ma'am it merely steals a rare breed of fish and vanishes."

"So? I kinda fail to see the problem yeah, I mean, no-one is hurt, right?"

Ralis was a bit miffed by the female knight's response; does this lady not know the importance of economy? He thought.

"Don't mind her, I will discuss the dilemma with the other knights and send in a team tomorrow." The prince of Hyrule assured "You have no need to worry, leave everything to us."

* * *

Riku stared at Impa's group.

"There are only three of you?"

"Yes, is there something wrong?" she quizzed.

"…No. I'm sure Sora mentioned that opening the gates is very difficult. Once the entrance is unsealed you have to fight Hades and Cerberus, his pet. And probably deal with the multitude of heartless and various monsters he's brewing up."

"We can help with the lesser creatures while you deal with the god. Does the plan work out for you?" Hercules courteously questioned.

The second ranked knight paused a bit before answering.

"The strategy is sound. Zack and I will unlock the gates; Auru will cover any beast attempting to attack us during our task."

Auru hefted his cannon and said: "Let's go"

Near the underworld, Zack was just beginning to unsheathe his Buster sword as Impa stalked up to the golden bars and performed a diagonal slash. Her sword cut the metal rods like a hot knife through butter. It took a split second before the clanging started as the slashed poles fell, it was another split instant as Cerberus pounced out of the shadows and targeted Impa's head. From behind her, three simultaneous cannon balls flew over her head and whacked into the hound's slobbering faces. The dog whimpered, then snarled and directed his attention to Zack, who stood around uselessly.

"Wait, down boy. DOWN!" the knight bellowed in an imitation of a dog trainer.

To the amazement of all, Cerberus obeyed, wagging its tail to his temporary master.

Way below the creature, Zack wiped off drool, it was flattering to have a new terror inspiring pet, but eww. Dog slime.

While everybody's attention was drawn to the ninth knight and his new friend, Hades made a dramatic entry, surrounded by a multitude of heartless, unversed and no dream eaters because he hated those too colorful cutesy creatures.

So un-horrifying.

Unfortunately not one of the knights, heroes or random lackeys (read Phil) witnessed the deadly god of death and his histrionic entrance. This fact was unforgivable. Turning red in rage, he caused twin columns of fire to erupt from the ground near him. The heat prompted the group to turn towards him.

Impa wasted no time in trying to decapitate Hades, without warning she ran, drawing out her blade in the process. Zack in a moment of idiocy commanded Cerberus to bite the original owner's body in half. As expected the dog did nothing. Riku and Hercules rushed after Impa. Seeing himself getting popular real quick, Hades let a fireball explode. Riku and Hercules went flying. Zack hid behind Cerberus, who was too heavy to be lifted off the ground. The explosion hit the second knight the hardest, observing her rocket outwards, Riku scrambled up and hurtled himself at her, catching her unconscious body before she hit a wall. Materializing before them, the god prepared another attack only to be hindered by his nemesis who punched him squarely in the gut.

"That should be illegal" he huffed, doubling over in pain.

A torrent of magic imbued cannonballs thereafter assaulted him. Shrieking in anger he swiped at Riku who had disappeared. Breaking away, Hades looked for his army of heartless and unversed.

"You incinerated them with your explosion." Zack informed him, shouldering his Buster sword. Cerberus lay on the floor, fast asleep.

Or knocked out. Take your pick.

The blue skinned God had enough.

"I'M LEAVING!" he screeched.

And true to his word, he vanished.

* * *

An: Ah Hades, my favorite villain. No, really. He is just a ton of snark rolled into a fireball.


	20. Chapter 20: Snow show

A/N: Dear people of fanfiction...the bane of my existence has once again reared it's ugly head...Yes I'm talking about EXAMS!

I hate them, and I know you do too.

Let's sob together *sob sob sob*

Without further ado, I present to you another chapter. Please read and review in these times of great mental stress :)

Disclaimer: I do not own KH nor LOZ. Game developers don't need to study for examinations.

* * *

Chapter 20: Snow show

When Sora entered the knights' chamber the next day, he spent a good amount of time gaping at his second ranked knight, luckily it was only the two of them in the room or else the rest of the members might've witnessed how unprofessional their respected leader could be. Impa sported a look similar to Sheikha, her face was covered with bandages, or rather, her whole body was covered with bandages.

"Was Hades that powerful?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"No, I was being careless."

The reply earned a confused pout from Sora.

"Careless? For some reason, you being careless sounds…wrong"

Impa smiled "Your praise is flattering. He is an eccentric character to be honest" the prince nodded in agreement "once he came out of the underworld, I rushed to him in hopes of ending the fight quickly, I did not account for his powers, so after he let out an explosion, the person who accumulated the most damage happened to be me. The superficial layer of my skin is gone, hence the bandages. I forgot to add, your friend Riku made sure my list of injuries did not include a cracked skull as well, I need to thank him."

"Should I perform a curaga on you?"

"I've been treated accordingly, do not worry, I'm still available for missions."

The conversation died as the rest of the knights filed in. The moment all of them were seated and quiet, Sora began the meeting. It did not escape his attention when Aqua and Zack cast longing glances at Link's seat. Deep down, he felt bad for them, but punishment was punishment, he needed to be firm in his decision.

"To start off, Auru, report on your mission. Impa was unconscious; therefore I could not get a clear description from her." He ordered.

"Yes sir. Zack managed to tame Cerberus and during his attack, Hades accidentally got rid of his own heartless army. They were incinerated in his fireball. Lastly, Hades disappeared without a trace. We did not defeat him sir, he simply vanished. Searching the area produced no results and since Impa was heavily wounded, I brought her back to Hyrule."

Hands down, this was the most bizarre account he has ever heard. The leader took a moment to compose himself.

'Zack tamed Cerberus huh, how interesting' he thought.

"We can assume Hades was working for Xehanort and his working conditions were probably not very generous. Aside from this fact, Impa and I will be investigating his whereabouts and Ashei I t-"

Hearing her name the female cheered cutting Sora off.

"…task you to lead a team of knights. Your mission: Scout Snowpeak for this mysterious beast. And while you are still listening let me tell you, economy is important for the smooth running of a country. If something is stealing fish, they are depleting your nation's resources and in turn making the country poor. Do you understand?"

"Yes sire, Thank you for enlightening me" Ashei droned.

The key-blade master blinked, he surprised himself with his speech just now. Damn he was getting good.

"Right. This is your assignments for today. Head out immediately"

The first and second ranked knight got up simultaneously and walked out. Meanwhile Ashei stared intently at each member, it has been quite some time since she led a group and she wanted to make the most out of it. Making up her mind not to take any nobles (because they were so stuck up and boring), she selected her members and moved out.

* * *

Impa was surprised, Sora seldom came to Destiny Island for work, but here he was, striding purposefully to Riku's house. He entered without knocking. The silver haired male was busy having breakfast, spooning cereal in his mouth, his eyes glued to a screen and he was seated in an unflattering position.

"Goodness Riku, you could've at least put on clothes! And sit properly!" The brunette flailed his arms wildly, trying to keep Impa from having a seizure.

"It'll teach you not to enter a person's home without permission." He nonchalantly stated "do you want some?" he held up his bowl.

"No. Just put on some clothing. We need to go somewhere"

Riku's expression turned solemn.

"Be right back."

Fifteen minutes later, he returned and seated himself. Sora had cleared the table and was scribbling something on a piece of paper. The prince quickly finished writing and folded the document, stowing it away in a pocket. He then drafted a strategy for capturing Xehanort. A few theories were tossed around and none of them were exactly perfect.

"Rikuuu," he moaned "my brain is about to implode with all this thinking, give me an idea."

"The last time, where did you meet Xehanort?" the second knight spoke first.

"Hmm, The end of the world, why do you ask?"

Neither Riku nor Impa wasted their energy face-palming. This was Sora, it is to be expected.

"We should investigate there, come on Sora, no use in moping around." The more mature male of the group got up and headed outside; he tore open a dark corridor and waited. Impa joined him a minute later but his best friend exited the house and ran in a totally different direction. He screamed about delivering a letter to his parents.

Or something along those lines.

He came back roughly half an hour later, his face stuffed with what appeared to be cake.

"Thorry guys, my mama baked this and forced me to eath it" he stated with his mouth full.

How disgusting.

The trio traversed the corridor and arrived in the gloomiest of gloomy places. Wiping cream off the corner of his mouth, the wielder of Kingdom key, summoned his weapon and strode forward with his friends behind him. As he made it to the central platform it was clear, even without searching, the place was deserted.

"He… is not… here" Riku stated cautiously.

The first knight looked around, he knew Xehanort was an extremely cunning character and it was not beneath him to flee someplace else and continue plotting. There were hardly any places to hide since this world was literally a fog of darkness.

"Anyone sense anything?" Sora quizzed.

He received negative responses. Regrouping, they came to a unanimous decision to scour other, potentially dark worlds in hopes of finding either Hades or Xehanort.

* * *

Aqua rubbed her arms and shivered, the other members were dressed warmly, only she had the dumb luck of disremembering to bring a parka.

"It's really cold here" her teeth chattered.

"Why am I here again? Hey Aqua, do you want to borrow my jacket? More importantly, I don't want to be here!" Zack complained.

"Be quite ninth rank, we are here to find a despicable thief and for…snowboarding. Nothing better to keep you in shape and warm up those frozen limbs." The appointed leader declared victoriously.

"Aqua is getting cold don't you care about her?" he shot back, pointing at the female knight to emphasize her plight.

The group turned to see the key-blade wielder materialize her armor in a flash of light. She took off her helmet and gave a thumbs up.

"I'm all good for snowboarding" she added.

The team, save for Zack whooped.

As soon as the team ventured deeper into the mountains, their troubles started. Snowpeak province was coated with snow and it was difficult to perceive the white furred wolfos in this environment. Moreover, the creatures were intelligent, leaping up unexpectedly from the snow and disappearing into it without a trace. A perfect camouflage. Whirling his Buster sword, the ninth ranked knight swiped at a wolfos, instead of striking the creature, who melted away, he clipped Auru on his head.

"UGH! This is the last time I'm gonna use my blade on those things" he yelled in frustration. Sheathing his weapon, he scooped up a fistful of snow, compacted it in his gloved hands and aimed at a monster standing a few meters away from him. He threw the ball with all his might, however, on spying the projectile, the wolf evaporated and the snowball landed with a thunk on Aqua's head. She turned and glared at him.

"I'm trying to concentrate here Fair. Do not disturb me."

"Wait, that is actually a good idea. Everybody, put away your guns, were are going to have a snowball fight!"

"Ashei, now is really not the ti-"

"The best way to get rid of those wolfos is by hitting them with projectiles, dismiss your key-blade Aqua, in Snowpeak we do things _my_ way."

No one wanted to argue with her.

Several minutes later, shrieks of delight ran out in the crisp mountain air as everyone threw balls of condensed snow on anything and everything. Ice keese, wolfos, iced floating skulls (bubbles) and mini freezards were not spared of the knights' wrath. Some of them had shrugged off their coats as the running, happy screaming and dodging heated their bodies up. Ashei and Zack got down and made angels in the carpet of snow whilst Aqua, Sheikha and Auru improvised and played a snowball version of baseball. Auru pitched and Aqua or Sheikha batted the balls with a key-blade or a wide tree branch.

"If Link were here, he'd have so much fun"

Aqua's sentence brought the Master Knights to a harrowing realization. The merrymaking stopped and each of them considered where they wanted to go in life. Getting suspended from the knights was a grave and humiliating matter.

Zack got up, his hair was starting to freeze. Facing the sky, his face split into a wide grin.

"Don't worry about him, he'll be back, believe in him."

The company progressed with a more serious mindset. Ashei crouched low when she observed an indention in the snow. She informed the rest that it was a foot print; they most likely found traces of the beast plaguing the Zoras. Falling behind each other, the band followed their leader as she expertly tracked the beast, trekking vigorously through the knee deep snow. The prints led them to a small hilly area with a single tree. A giant abominable snowman type creature was holding out a reeking fish and muttering to himself…in English.

Ashei hiked up to the thing fearlessly.

"Yeto? What are you doing here? Please don't tell me you are stealing the fish."

On sighting the human, Yeto knocked the tree next to him. A flat sheet of polished ice fell from the branches and he mounted the piece with a single giant foot. Eyes wide with an expression of fear, he launched himself and disappeared. The knights approached their leader slowly.

"It-it spoke, in English, why are beasts speaking in our language? Are they evolving?" Zack reeled, clutching his head.

"Quiet you moron" Ashei snapped uncharacteristically "Follow Yeto, there must be something really wrong with him to act like this. Normally he is so kind and talkative."

About half-way through pursuing Yeto, a snowboarding competition broke out. Aqua who was currently in the lead, whipped her head once she noticed Ashei, with a smug grin, right behind her. The sixth rank skated flawlessly, shooting past the armored female in a blur of red and white. Determined to not give up, the key-blader tilted forward and put on speed, she brought out her weapon and cast an aero spell, causing her to fly past Ashei.

"Not FAIR!" The mountains echoed.

Knowing the region better than anyone, the spunky female leapt on to a short cut, the members behind her, thinking it to be the only route followed wordlessly. Soon a group of four was sledding in tandem with Aqua, there was big difference though, as Ashei and her posse gained ground faster than their lone companion who skated down a ravine. Aqua did not panic; again she cast magic, this time an aeroga. Blitzing out of the snow, she arced in the air and landed several meters in front of Ashei. Looking back, she gave a small wave and then focused on her path.

"COOL! I'm so going to win this race!" Zack shouted confidently, he brought out his sword and powered up an energy ball.

"Zack, don't do anything stu-" warned Sheikha.

Too late.

He rocketed to the front at breakneck speed; unable to do any steering, he planted himself agonizingly on a rock-face. The slate of ice shattered and he crumpled uselessly in the blanket of snow.

"Someone get him." Ashei ordered as she whizzed after her nemesis.

Only Sheikha was kind enough to actually stop and pick his battered body up. The poor man was bleeding in a dozen places and had a few of his bones broken. Briefly contemplating whether to warp or not. The warrior hoisted Zack on her back and boarded her sheet of ice. She won't win the race, but hey, sledding was very entertaining.

On reaching the end, Aqua let out a cheer and raised her arms in the air, somersaulting off her icy-sled, her feet had just touched land when someone grabbed her waist and forced her face-first to the floor. Both she and the culprit rolled around, grappling each other to detangle themselves.

"This was a tie! Get it, you did not win" Ashei panted, keeping her teammate in a vise grip.

"Okay, okay, a tie, I give in" laughed Aqua "still, it was really exciting. Thanks leader"

Leader beamed.

"You are welcome"

* * *

As soon as the rest of the group plus an unconscious Zack showed up, Ashei led them to Snowpeak temple, kicking open the doors she marched purposefully into the lobby, the temple was derelict, tiles were uprooted, staircases broken and part of a roof was missing letting in freezing air. The leading knight paid no attention, boots clacking on the semi-frozen floor she walked all the way and entered another room without knocking. In contrast to the previous area, this place was warm, a fire blazed in a grate bathing the walls with an orange glow. In the middle sat Yeta on a carpet, the poor beast appeared to be sick.

"Uh, hello" she greeted "I uh sick, husband making soup for me" a smile split her face, showing a single bottom tooth.

"Hi Yeta, sorry to see you sick, hope you get better yeah. So you are saying Yeto is in the kitchen yeah?"

After getting a confirmatory reply, Ashei strode heatedly to the kitchen, Yeto had cleaned the fish and was preparing it to add it to the soup when the knight caught him red handed. He miserably explained how his wife contracted a fever and her condition steadily deteriorated, sick from worry he started stealing Reekfish from the Zora kingdom and making soup with it to supply her with nutrients. Apparently Reekfish contained numerous vitamins.

"I see yeah, but Yeto, taking other people's things is wrong, you could've asked me for help"

Yeto had the decency to hang his head in shame.

Once the sixth ranked knight went back to the previous chamber, Zack was beginning to recover from his blackout. The knights were gathered around Yeta as she doted about her husband, in the midst of her story telling she stopped abruptly and began twitching, her face contorting unpleasantly. The bleary eyed male watched this display with fascinated horror. Yeta's whole body convulsed and her eyes rolled in her sockets. Finally she let out an ear throbbing screech and grinned, displaying blood red eyes and two gigantic fangs on either side of her mouth.

Behind the knights Zack screamed and fainted.

Corrupted Yeta vanished from the scene. The orange glows of the fire mutated to shadows and from the darkness a multitude of monsters sprang up, hissing and growling ominously.

The knights stood up as one. It was their time to shine.

Except Zack, he was still in a coma.

* * *

AN: I honestly freaked when the mirror of twilight turned sweet Yeta into that thing. The power of evil…able to corrupt anyone. Get your twilight mirror shard today and be invincible!

Hmm, maybe I should become a script writer for commercials.

Pfft.


	21. Chapter 21 Throne-room dancing

A/N: Thank you to Sky Guardian warrior739 for alerting my story, it keeps me motivated to write more. And without further ado I present you the next chapter. Enjoy and please read and review, constructive criticism is appreciated.

By the way…I really need to fix my previous error-rific chapters (the horror)

Disclaimer: I owneth not the francises of Kingdom Hearts whose story line till today makes scat sense nor the do I owneth Legend of Zelda whose, timeline on the other hand, does not make sense.

* * *

Chapter 21: Throne-room dancing

Gritting her teeth, Impa tried to ignore the pain searing through her body. Standing under the desert sands of Agrabah was not doing wonders for her injuries. Due to Riku's insistence, the trio went from searching Xehanort, to popping into other worlds to check if any of the resident villains made a comeback.

"It's no use" the first knight wheezed, wiping sweat from his brow, he plopped unceremoniously down on the sand.

"You…did not fully recover from Xehanort's possession did you" Riku asked sharply.

"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly okay, see." Sora flashed a wide grin.

"Don't lie to me. The you I knew would never wheeze so pathetically after teleporting to a couple of worlds. Impa is perfectly fine and she sustains heavy injuries."

Totally not true, well, it suited Impa fine. Thinking back, the second knight noted how tired her superior looked after searching for Ralis for a mere two days.

"Tell us what is happening" His best friend demanded.

The prince averted his face and hesitantly began to speak.

"I…noticed it myself. My responses are getting slower and I get absent minded and tired, easily and often. Mostly I do deskwork therefore it did not bother me much. Now it seems this condition is going to hamper me whenever I undertake a serious mission involving fighting and travelling. It helps if I stop thinking about it."

"So you're basically going to remain in denial and hope it miraculously disappears?" the silver haired male queried.

His question remained unanswered.

"Is your handicap worsening Master Sora?"

"Yeah" he solemnly answered "don't worry, extra training will fix any deformities I have. Impa, let's return to Hyrule, we have to check up on the princess and wait for Ashei's report"

Riku simply observed his friend traverse through a black corridor. Clenching his hands he set off on his own. The master of darkness needed to be put down as soon as possible.

In Hyrule castle the first and second knight parted ways. One heading to the infirmary whilst the other to the throne room. When Sora entered the area, he came to a shocking standstill. Zelda and Ganondorf were duking it out with each other. The princess held her rapier in one hand as she flitted around her enemy, dealing out strikes and cuts with deadly accuracy. A spin slash here, a twirling dodge there. Her footwork was flawless, gliding back and forth on the marbled floor. She fought like how she appeared, gracefully and if there weren't any swords and angry grunts from Ganondorf, the awestruck prince would've thought Zelda was dancing with her opponent.

Somehow the thought made him angry.

In a masterful move, the holder of the triforce of power managed to disarm Zelda. Her weapon went flying into the air and fell with a clang somewhere in the vast room. The first knight stood rooted to his spot, his mind demanding him to step in and assist, but fascination and fatigue kept him from actually doing anything. Watching Zelda fight was like seeing a show, it'd be rude to rush in and steal her spotlight. The princess, instead of appearing distraught, merely jumped back from Ganondorf. Pulling out her bow, she strung an arrow and waited as the monster hurtled at her, drawing the arrow tighter and as he came closer, once she let the arrow loose, if flew like a bullet and embedded itself deep in his chest. The monster's enraged roar ebbed as his body paralyzed.

"I'd be careful if I were you" she stated calmly while walking towards him "the arrow is imbued with light magic."

The princess steadily eyed the personification of power. Unexpectedly he broke free of his petrified state and leapt up, slashing diagonally across her body. Her pupils widened with fear and the pristine white dress stained red with blood. Moving backwards a few steps, she blinked.

There was a castle guard in front of her, blocking Ganondorf's sword, she looked at herself and noted that she was perfectly unharmed. No blood and certainly no injuries. So why did she envision her own death? Was this also one of his abilities as the holder of power?

Sora's blade currently pointed at the monster's neck. He beheld the guard shielding Zelda, it had to be the suspended tenth rank and apart from him no other guard wielded the Master sword.

"You have nowhere to hide Ganondorf, he may appear to be a castle guard, however, it's Link, the bane of your existence, surrender and this will be easy for you" the prince threatened, the tip of his weapon glowed in response.

The adversary laughed a harsh guttural sound. As Link raised his sword in an attempt to impale him, his form flickered and dissolved into shadows faster than anyone could imagine. In frustration the demoted knight stabbed the marble floor.

And nothing happened.

Zelda watched Sora dispel his key-blade in a flash of light. For some odd reason, his presence made her highly uncomfortable and…scared. For the past few months she felt like she was fast asleep, waking suddenly at convenient times. In each of her conscious episodes, the first knight was present.

In a fancy place, wearing, was it a suit? She never saw him wear a suit before.

That time when he came through a corridor possessed by something and assaulted her.

At a conference, sitting right next to her as she exiled Xehanort, the meeting was for world leaders. Sora was a noble, not a prince.

The last episode was the worst. She had woken in the middle of the night to her glowing birthmark. Once the glow stopped, she switched on one of the lamps and got out only to turn and see the knight fast asleep in her bed.

In.

Her.

Bed.

Moreover she had an inkling he belonged there. The sleeping form of Sora looked perfectly at ease; he probably slept here every night.

The thought was ludicrous.

Zelda controlled her hyperactive breathing and proceeded to waken the shameless knight in the most painful way possible. Before anything transpired, she blanked out again, not remembering whether she managed to whack him with a lamp or not.

Forcing herself back to reality, she perceived the guard taking of his helmet and bowing down to her, to her surprise it was Link.

"Why are you dressed as a castle guard Link? It will undermine your position as a knight."

The first night replied for him: "Zelda, he has been suspended from the knights and is currently a member of the castle guards."

"Suspension from the master knights is a grave matter, what has Link done?" she demanded brusquely.

Sora got a feeling the princess was not happy with him. He tried to think of a reason, was she still upset about the time he accidentally stabbed her while he was possessed?

"Well?" Zelda interrupted his ruminations.

He scratched the back of his head absentmindedly and answered: "His behavior leaves much to be desired, our knight here, ran off on his own, blatantly ignored summons and even decided to take a week-long vacation and instead of informing me of his decisions, he got a fellow member to pass a message for him. Who does he think he is?"

Princess Zelda gazed at Link with disbelief. Said person shuffled his feet nervously while the nobles scrutinized him. He briefly wondered if he could put his helmet back on.

"I…see. If the facts are true, you deserved your punishment Link. Next time be careful of your actions and I hope you will be reinstated as a knight."

"Yes princess" the blonde male bowed "I will do my best"

The princess spun and strode regally away. After asking Link to take his leave, the first knight ran to catch up to her. She paid him not attention, walking purposefully to who knows where.

"Zelda, how d-" Sora attempted to speak, however he was cut off.

"Please address me as Princess" she coldly stated.

This was getting rather difficult.

"Princess, I apologize if I offended you in anyway, my actions were the work of someone else"

"Your activities Master Sora will cause a national scandal" Zelda almost hissed "what dark forces forced you to sleep in my bed?"

Huh? Oohhh.

"Princess…this may sound awkward, but we are married."

The poor woman was losing her composure. A deep frown marred her serene face. Glancing at her left hand she kept on admonishing Sora:

"I already told you not to tell such appalling li…es" her voice trailed off.

There was a wedding ring decorating her finger. A lovely band consisting of three loops of platinum joined together with an exquisitely cut diamond. Simple, elegant and beautiful. As she raised her face, her husband brought up his own hand and pointed to his finger.

"See? I'm not lying"

Zelda did not reply; she wanted to wrench the ring off and fling it in a never-ending portal of darkness.

"How come I do not remember the wedding?"

Sora sighed: "It is a long story princess and a wise move from Xehanort's part, by disabling you; he crippled all of us to a certain degree."

"So the council did not arrange our marriage?"

"No, if it were the case, I could've refused. You decreed the marriage on your own."

'And you remained quite forceful about it' he inwardly added, pulling his cheeks in an effort to disguise his reddening face. Fortunately Zelda too was preoccupied to notice anything.

A tense silence stretched before them.

Finally the princess spoke, brining one hand up to her chest; she bowed formally to Sora who, upon witnessing her doings, almost suffered from a stroke.

"I'm sorry for accusing you without knowing anything, please forgive me. After rationalizing, it has come to my attention that you may be hurting far more than I have."

"Wha-what are you, princess raise your head!" he spluttered.

She did so and swayed. Her vision closed in on her, the last thing she glimpsed was Sora's concerned visage.

* * *

After making sure Zelda was comfortably snoozing in her bed. The first knight seated himself at a table near her and brooded, resting his cheek in a palm. Almost an hour passed when his eyes started drooping, before his head thudded painfully on the surface of the desk, Impa politely knocked and entered.

"Ashei and her team are back sir." She informed him "they have rather sinister news to report."

Wearily, the leader got up and followed Impa, peeking once more at Zelda's sleeping form.

"Has anything happened to our princess? You seem worried" the second knight questioned.

"I'm bothered about what this curse is doing to her. I knew she never had any feelings for me; however, she was positively angry once she found out and as she came to accept that we were married, she expressed sadness, claiming this nuptial is ruining my life. I wonder if she actually meant her life instead of mine."

"Sir, the princess will marry anyone who benefits Hyrule, even at the cost of her happiness." Impa solemnly declared.

"What you said sounds unbelievably sad Impa, more-so because it is the truth." He murmured to himself.

Entering through the gilded doors of the knights' chamber, Sora slid into his throne and stared inspected the scouting group; the knights were covered in injuries.

"Your report Ashei and make it quick."

The frustrated sixth ranked knight pounded her fist on the table, startling everyone.

"I found the culprit, your buddy Ganondorf was behind everything."

The leader of the master knights was a bit confused. Cracking open an eyelid he inquired:

"Firstly he is not my buddy and secondly, Ganondorf was stealing fish from the Zora's?"

"No you stu-" she took a deep breath "I meant, a creature called Yeto is responsible for actually stealing the fish yeah, but he did it to save his sick wife. She was poisoned with darkness by Ganondorf and as soon as we got to Snowpeak temple, she had completely morphed into a dark being. The place is now crawling with monsters and shadows."

"Fine, I understand the situ-"

"And one more thing" she insisted "we all want Link back. He is vital to this ope-"

"NO!" Sora interjected and Vanitas subtly flinched "I will decide when his sentence is finished. For now, you can do without him."

A deafening silence permeated the chamber.

"I'm not participating in this mission then and neither are the twin dragons." Vanitas droned "you claim Link is crucial to defeating Ganondorf, yet you keep him on the sidelines. Ever since you became prince, you did whatever you wanted so, I'll be doing the same. Roxas, Ventus and I will be going back to Destiny Islands. Have fun with princess Zelda brother"

If eyebeams were real, Sora would be boring holes into Vanitas' head right now. He stood up.

"Right, Link will be reinstated the next meeting which is held tomorrow. Don't be late, we all need to welcome him." Imparting the contradictory order, he left.

The knights' room remained mute.

And thereafter erupted into a tremendous cheer, Zack took the opportunity to hug Aqua who was too happy to smack him. Unseen by anyone, Vanitas smiled.

"Thanks Vanitas, you saved the day" Zack gushed.

The smile morphed to a scowl.

"Don't speak to me commoner, with that peasent around it makes this boring place a bit interesting."

Ashei thumped him on the back.

"Just be honest yeah, you missed him too."

* * *

AN: I thought it'd be hilarious if prim and proper Zelda found a drooling Sora sleeping in her bed. And Link is coming back YAY!


	22. Chapter 22: Bearer of Courage

A/N: I present to you the next chapter. Please read and review and pray that I pass my exams safely...I sound like I'm going to war. Anyway. ENJOY

Disclaimer: If I was the owner of two multi-national franchises...Exams would be the last on my worry list.

* * *

Chapter 22: Bearer of Courage.

The next morning, as Sora entered the Knight's chamber, he had a sudden urge to command Vanitas to destroy the room. There was a feast laid out, several articles of food wafted tantalizing aromas. Aqua and Sheikha were busy putting finishing touches to a cake. Zack, Auru and the twins were decorating the area, hanging colorful streamers, balloons and banners. Off to one side and shouting instructions were Ashei and Impa. All of the knights were dressed in casual clothes. Vanitas as usual wore black; leaning against a wall he sported a multicolored party hat on his head.

And apparently Sheikha was a girl. Her resemblance to princess Zelda was astonishing.

As the door closed behind him, Ashei spun around and exclaimed:

"Master Sora, how nice of you to join us! Wanna decorate?"

The occupants in the room froze and mechanically turned to watch their leader saunter to the head of the table and flop down with an expressionless face.

"Continue with whatever you guys are doing. Don't mind me." He hand waved them "and Impa, once everyone is done decorating, fetch Link. Let's welcome him back."

The second knight nodded.

Roxas and Ventus spared a glance at their older brother. For someone at a welcoming party he sure looked very angry, not to mention stressed. Perhaps he did not want Link to be re-instated as a knight? Or was there some other problem plaguing his mind?

Half an hour later, guardsman Link, was forced to change back into his tunic and windsock-esqe hat. He was dragged all the way to the Knights' chamber and thrust inside courtesy of a smiling Impa, as he tumbled in, the knights screamed:

WELCOME BACK LINK!

And confetti rained down from above.

* * *

"So…Link, Welcome back"

His leader sounded like he was pronouncing a death sentence rather than congratulating someone.

"Forgive me for being listless, I am extremely tired also, I apologize for putting a damper on things but I have a very important announcement to make."

Hearing this, Zack stopped stuffing his face with cake.

"Princess Zelda was attacked in the throne room by Ganondorf" several knights gasped in surprise "therefore; I decided to make this decision. It was difficult for me and truth to be told, I feel a bit bitter. Unfortunately there is no other option and since we are married, she is my prime responsibility."

Sora took a deep breath.

"I will be retiring from the knights for a short while. In my absence, second ranked knight, Impa will be leading you. I trust there are no objections?"

The room remained silent, several pairs of shocked eyes gaped at their leader. The first knight tried not to stare at his siblings' betrayed expressions.

"I am sorry. At the moment, I feel Impa would do a better job at leading the knights. As a parting gift, if you guys could call it that, can I pick the members to accompany you to Snowpeak Ashei?"

The usual spunky female looked dejected.

"Yeah."

"Alright. So, Ashei will lead. Link, Vanitas, Sheikha, Auru and Zack, will go with you, are you happy with the arrangement?"

"Yeah." Came the short reply.

Their leader got up and offered a strained smile to the rest of the members. He proceeded to walk out of the door without looking back. Finally gone, the twins, specifically Ventus began sobbing quietly.

"Don't weep silly, you heard him, he's coming back to boss us around in a few days. Stop crying over simple things Ven, grow up." Vanitas spoke and to anyone who knows him well, they understood he was just placating his younger brother.

Being the newest member of the group, Link could not comprehend why the knights acted this way. For the brief amount of time he joined the knights, Sora came off as a neutral, potentially harsh leader. He whispered his reason to Zack.

"Well, for most of us Master Sora is actually the nicest commander we had. The previous first knight was a total jerk, he only cared about reputation and abusing his power, I was considering to leave the knights when one fateful day a fifteen year old noble was standing in the courtyard of the palace, screaming about how he wanted to be the leader of the Master Knights and to wipe all traces of darkness in the world."

"F-fifteen? You mean he took over the knights at that age?" the Hylian asked.

"Yep" Zack folded his hands behind his head as everyone's attention swiveled to him "he fearlessly challenged the old fart to a duel and against all odds he won. Back then, he was kinda childish and cheerful, however, he always commanded respect. As he grew older, he reformed the knights to be the ultimate protectors of Hyrule. Due to his services, he was always favored by our princess. And if I think about it, his drastic personality change occurred soon after you joined the knights."

Link gawked.

"Are you saying I am somehow responsible for how Master Sora is acting at the moment?"

"No" Vanitas cut in "he changed once he got married to Zelda, it was shortly after the peasant became one of us"

The brunette was uncomfortably aware of how the knights' fixated their concentration on him. The people wanted him to elaborate but, at the same time, it was not his place to blab Sora's secret out to everyone.

"It seems my brother is finding palace life to be stressful and the added threats of Ganondorf and Xehanort is warping his character. Please, bear with him."

Zack got up abruptly from his chair and drew out a long sword, pointing it at Vanitas he demanded:

"Who are you and what did you do with our Vanitas?"

In response the second born merely glowered.

Following the exchange Ashei got up and announced:

"Okay everyone, enough chit-chat yeah. Let's go whip some monster butts. Vanitas, get to work"

Several knights smirked at her brashness, few persons would dare order a member of the House of Kingdom the way she did.

One dark corridor later. A shivering team of knights gazed up at the ruins of Snowpeak temple.

* * *

"Ugh" Zack complained "why did Master Sora have to pick me again? I swear my snot is freezing in my nostrils!"

"Zack, keep your disgusting comments to yourself" admonished Sheikha, miraculously, she had changed into her battle attire while the rest, save for Link sported casual clothes and were cold and uncomfortable. Rubbing her bare arms vigorously and cursing the dress she was wearing, Ashei strode up to the door on stiletto boots and kicked open the door. The darkness swallowed her form as she walked in.

"You know, it's nice to see fellow knights in different clothing once in a while. Ashei looks rather fin- urk"

A vicious chop to the back of Zack Fair's neck silenced him for eternity.

Just kidding.

"Link, pick Zack up and follow, we don't have time to fool around." Sheikha ordered.

The rest of the team scrambled to catch up to their leader; they found her in one of the vacant back rooms puzzling over a puzzle. She looked up as the knights entered.

"What happened to Zack?" she queried.

"The cold got to him." Sheikha lied.

"…Fine, whatever, we need to get him back on his feet, Link can't lug him throughout the mansion and Yeto needs some help" Ashei held up a map of the house, two rooms were marked "these rooms are of utmost importance, so we should visit them." She furrowed her brows. "Leave Zack in the kitchen, it's warm there, hopefully he won't contract hypothermia."

The Hylian imparted a concerned glance at his friend, he lacked his usual Buster sword and he wore a casual dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, his face and exposed skin was beginning to turn blue. Vanitas had the sense to materialize his armor; pointing a key-blade at the pathetic looking soldier he asked Ashei if he should warm Zack up.

"Absolutely not yeah! Do something productive like solving the puzzle instead" She retorted.

After Link came back from depositing Zack in the kitchen, he came upon a strange sight; the puzzle blocks were all demolished into pieces of stone, and in the ice slab in the middle of the floor was cracked. Vanitas stood alone on the southern switch, his visage one of impatience.

"Move through the door you peasant, I'm not standing on this switch for the rest of my life." He snarled.

Once Link crossed the gates, they clanged shut and Vanitas teleported next to him.

* * *

"…It's a pumpkin" Auru huffed.

"And I found cheese" hissed Vanitas "did we come here for a party?"

Ashei had separated the knights into two groups and sent them on simultaneous missions. However, the results of the mission were less than satisfactory. Vanitas clutched his piece of Ordonian cheese and prepared himself to throw it out of the window till the sixth ranked knight stopped him.

"Give the stuff to Link, he'll take it to Yeto yeah. Hurry up Link; we'll be waiting for you."

The tenth ranked knight raced to the kitchen and handed the soup ingredients to Yeto who proceeded to add the two ingredients to the bubbling cauldron. Yeto's soup smelled so good Link scooped a bottleful of the concoction up; it also brought Zack back to his senses. After Zack and Link both gobbled a bowl of superb soup, they sprinted back to the chamber, only to find it deserted.

"So what do we do now?"

"Traverse the temple on our own" Link wiped the edge of his mouth "we took too long with the soup."

Opening a random door, Link came across a room littered with shards of ice and a random cannonball sliding on the icy floor, guessing this must be Vanitas' work, he trekked on with new determination.

On Ashei's side, the third ranked knight was standing a good distance from a freezard and pelting it with dark firagas. Despite everyone's protests that magic was not working on the ice monster, Vanitas persisted, an arrogant sneer decorating his face. Once Ashei destroyed the freezard with a well-aimed cannon shot, did he move from his place. Travelling to the next area, revealed a locked entrance, the team leader put an ear to the wooden door and heard a whooshing sound steadily growing louder, as she urgently commanded the knights to clear out the way, a giant silver ball and chain reduced the entry to matchsticks and shot out in the corridor, it managed to strike the newly arrived Link on the forehead before recoiling backwards to its owner with great velocity.

"Ouch" Link hissed, clutching his bleeding forehead. Eyes narrowing in anger, he drew his master sword and cautiously stalked to the room. Vanitas joined him, smirk growing wider with each second.

"Uh, Ashei, you do not want Link and Vanitas teaming up together." Zack relayed "they probably will destroy the mansion and kill us in the process."

The leading knight was a bit perplexed, sure the tenth rank can get a bit out of hand, however, he is not as violent as the noble was he?

A clanging sound urged the team to peer in the room and collectively gasp.

The bearer of courage kept dodging the ball and chain by zipping through the air via clawshot points stuck to a metal grate on the ceiling. If the Darkhammer launched its weapon at Vanitas, it was viciously batted aside with a key-blade, thereafter the spiky ball of metal ricocheted off the corridor in random directions. Suspended in the air, Link merely avoided the sphere or struck it in a fashion similar to his friend on the floor. The two seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.

Understandably, Ashei exploded.

"Link, stop swinging like a monkey and get rid of the monster so we can finish the temple, I don't want to freeze to death yeah!" she ordered.

Up above, the knight raised his sword arm and got to work. When the Darkhammer's back faced him, Link launched himself off the room and landed on the creature's back, sliding his weapon in a chink, he popped the helmet off, vaulting down from the monster, the Hylian expertly de-armored the beast. Following this, he got to work, slashing the defenseless Lizalfos like creature till it disappeared in a stream of shadows. A few knights on standby could not help but stare at their team-mate's slightly maniacal grin.

He enjoyed doing this.

His friends' shock went completely unnoticed by him as he picked the ball and chain up and hefted it to his chest.

"This weapon is heavy" Link complained, his face contorting with effort.

"You look like you're constipated buddy" Zack pointed out earning a relieved chuckle from the others.

In the aftermath of the Darkhammer's death, the knights used Link to clear all obstacles, shatter doorways and even fight off chilfos, freezards and chus. It worked on everything except the chus. The weapon was a force of nature and it greatly amused the knights when a 'constipated' Link swung the ball and chain haphazardly and destroyed nearly everything in his path. As an added bonus, the poor guy sometimes slipped on an icy floor and fell. The third time this happened, Vanitas found himself wiping tears of mirth.

By the time the band of knights reached the bedroom, Link was visibly tired, his breath came in short pants and to everyone's general astonishment, he absolutely refused to battle the boss monster.

"Why?" Ashei demanded.

The knight in question mumbled:

"Rehabilitation, the reason Master Sora suspended me from the knights was for me to learn how to quell my growing battle lust. I don't think it worked though."

Ah, how brutally honest.

"Of course not" Vanitas stated and earned a few disgruntled looks from his peers.

Link sighed heavily and pulled out the ball and chain from his magical pouch, walking to the third knight, he dumped the weapon in a surprised brunette's arms.

"Since you rank the highest amongst us sir, please use my weapon and defeat the boss. I'll be waiting right here." The tenth rank smiled, exposing elongated canines.

If this was a kind gesture, it sure did not look like one to the observing knights.

Shaking herself out of a stupor. Ashei rallied her company and entered the final chamber, leaving Link alone outside. Another sigh escaped his lips, the sound blending with the howling winds of Snowpeak.

Inside the bedroom Vanitas first grimaced at his reflection on the frozen floor and then turned his attention to the floating mass that was Blizetta. Demanding the rest to keep away from him he strained his arms and began swinging the ball and chain in a circular motion picking up momentum, thereafter he hurled the spiky projectile towards the encased monster and watched gleefully as a huge crack appeared on impact, gaining confidence (and loosing way too much strength) the dark haired noble repeated his attacks twice more till the icy corpus shattered and rained shrapnel in all directions.

"Hmm, it would save Master Vanitas much energy if I used my cannon instead." Auru said.

"Leave the idiotic nobles alone, they will never know how to do things simply" Ashei responded.

Trouble started as soon as Blizetta entered her second form, Vanitas dropped the sphere and scurried out of the way as a chunk of ice impaled the spot he was standing on, in an instant, several other pieces hailed down and trapped him in a circular barrier, he stared hopelessly as a the main body loomed over him and began descending, ready to crush him into a lifeless pulp. The sound of breaking ice diverted his awareness to an opening and he made a mad dash for it, sliding to avoid being crumpled to death, Zack rescued him.

He decided to feel humiliated later, right now, he was going to get rid of Blizetta.

Vanitas summoned his key-blade and waited while Zack and Auru dealt with the drifting, yet deadly hunks of ice. The eight ranked knight reduced the chunks into bits whilst the seventh rank got his blade stuck, Excalibur style, when he attempted to strike one of the floor impaling wedges.

"If I had my Buster sword, this would be a piece of cake." He heaved as he tried to take the blade out.

Suddenly the room became dark, a glance at Vanitas made it clear he was the source of the darkness. He glowed ominously and held Void gear in front of him with two hands on the grip. A domed helmet obscured his face.

"Zantetsuken" the chamber echoed.

The knights were unable to follow the incident, all they could recall was a black flash and Blizetta cleaved in half, once again, the floor shattered. Ice and snow melted away leaving a shivering Yeta on the floor, Yeto rushed to his wife and cradled her and to Vanitas' disgust, their undying love literally sprouted hearts. He spun around, created a warp hole and vanished without anyone noticing.

* * *

AN: I know Zantetsuken is Terra's move, due to lack of awesome dark based attacks, I decided to let Vanitas use it to end the battle.


	23. Chapter 23: I need a vacation

AN: What do people do on vacation anyways? I'd just sit in my room and read/play games/hit Mindy and have my parents yelling at me to get off the laptop. Life's Good. (punny because I own an LG phone)

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own the franchise of Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Chapter 23: I need a vacation

Impa's red eyes were fixated on Vanitas who calmly stared back at her.

"Why did you leave without notifying anyone?" she asked

"I didn't feel like it" he shrugged "besides where would I go? I got two brats to look after so I came straight home."

The noble knew he'd get in trouble if he came to Hyrule alone, however he had little choice. The rest of the knights were busy gaping at those abominable snow-creatures and he had no time for that.

Leaning back on Sora's chair, Impa inaudibly sighed. The prince was unavailable the entire morning and the knights were not given a mission nor any patrol duties to do. She doubted anyone of them would like to train. Currently only Link and the twin dragons were liable to hone their skills, the rest, they were simply too experienced.

"Since Master Sora did not decree any mission. The knights are hereby given a vacation on the conditions that they must report if any problems befall Hyrule. Dis-"

"Wait, you are actually giving us a vacation yeah? What next? Am I gonna be appointed as first knight?" Ashei drawled.

Several sniggers were heard at the Knights' table.

"I think it is appropriate" The second knight evenly replied "we worked ceaselessly all year round and there are more difficult times ahead of us, its sensible to take this opportunity and relax."

"And princess Zelda?" Auru queried

"My brother is looking after her" Vanitas responded with an edge to his tone and stood up from his chair "since we're on holiday, Roxas, Ven and I will be in Destiny Islands; I want visit my mom." Saying this he opened a portal and motioned the twins to follow him as he vanished.

A hushed descended in the room.

"…I had no idea Vanitas was a momma's boy" the silence was broken by none other than Link. His bland statement garnered an eruption of laughter from the rest of the seated knights.

"Di-dismissed" Impa tried but failed to hold in her chuckles.

* * *

"Sora did not come with you did he?"

His mother's bright blue irises peered into his soul. Vanitas' gaze was glued to the floor.

"Well" she smiled "I'm glad you are home Van" she then proceeded to engulf her son in a hearty hug. He did not care if the twins laughed at him, he returned the gesture whole-heartedly.

"I'm home" he whispered.

Hours later Vanitas stood outside holding his key-blade, a fireball speeded towards him and he batted it back with vengeance.

'Why am I doing this?' he wondered.

The three of them, including Aqua, were currently playing fire-ball ping pong, as far as he was concerned, the game was utterly boring but, he couldn't say no to his younger brothers' pleading eyes.

'I'm getting soft'

A crowd had gathered to watch the key-blade wielders duel it out, even though it was for fun, the brunette took everything seriously. Launching a dark fira of his own, he grinned at the impeding chaos, the playing field (the beach obviously) was littered with multi-elemental orbs whizzing this way and that while the four players struck them ruthlessly. Roxas' eyes narrowed in concentration and Vanitas noticed the beginnings of a scowl.

Somehow an easy game turned out to be tough competition, lost in his ruminations; he did not see the blizagga before it smashed into his face.

"Oh my gosh Vanitas, I'm sorry" Aqua ran over.

He got up and rubbed his bleeding nose.

"it's fine" he mumbled "anyway, I'm tired of this, let's do something else."

"I want to visit Terra" Ventus piped up.

"Visit him on your own" the older male shot back. Poor Ven reduced himself to a pouting puppy, unfortunately Vanitas outright ignored him.

"Roxas, what do you want?"

"…Ice-cream" he solemnly answered.

They trooped to the ice-cream shop together. The twins held an amicable conversation with Aqua since their second eldest brother was busy brooding.

Correction: He was always brooding.

At the store, Roxas and Ventus got into a competition of who'd buy the most ice-cream. Feeling frustrated as his funds steadily dwindled, Vanitas got in between the quarreling twins with the intention of staring them to death, instead, an equally infuriated Roxas hurled an ice-cream in his face.

Ice-cream. In. His. Face.

Those damn twins were getting rather out of hand because Sora was not around.

Whirling around, he determined to give the younger twin a scathing lecture and like Roxas, he too screamed a cry sounding suspiciously like: "Ice-cream war" and started pelting Vanitas with frozen confectionary. Aqua merely giggled and joined the twins in their mischief making. The shop keeper retreated deeper in his store. Those idiots were blind if they did not perceive the rage rolling off Vanitas.

Their parents watched in shocked silence as three ice-cream covered people shuffled in front of them. The middle one held his brothers hands so tightly, he might've been trying to crush their bones. Melted ice-cream dripped off their clothes and on to the floor.

"I assume you got into a fight?" The mom gently probed "well, what's done, is done. All of you, clean yourselves up. Dinner will be ready soon."

Hearing this the twins twisted themselves out of Vanitas' vise grip and bounded to their room. Clenching his fists, he followed them.

* * *

"STAR GAME huh?" Link stood before a gaudily decorated tent.

"Want to try the game out?" Zack asked next to him munching on expensive bread.

The hero grinned wolfishly. "I suppose I could."

Inside the tent a floor to ceiling length metallic cage housed numerous colored orbs. As Link watched all the pretty lights with awe (because things like this don't exist in Ordon village) the game master, a scam artist with dubious fashion sense, began explaining the rules to Link; who paid no attention.

"Sorry, will you please repeat what you said?"

Muttering some curse words under his breath, Purlo repeated the instructions more slowly, he made sure the Hylian understood all the directions, well, it did not matter he is going to lose anyway.

"So all I have to do is grab those lights? Sounds simple enough." Link equipped himself with the clawshot and stepped inside whilst a savage gleam formed in Purlo's eyes. The overconfident brat won't know what hit him.

As soon as the bell rang, Link flew around the cage using his clawshot and collected the balls at an alarming speed. Tremendous cheers went up as the lights slowly blinked out of existence, Zack and a few other crazy audience members gripped the bars of the cage and screamed encouragement, meanwhile Purlo's visage turned to one of horror and terror and disbelief.

A thoroughly entertained Link came to him to collect his prize.

'Impossible' Purlo thought 'how dare the country bumpkin manage to win the stage. Grr, I will remember this, and stop smiling you creep *shiver* I will get you one day. Heh heh heh'

"CON-GRATULATIONS! What a happy day, the debut of a new STAR! To you, winner of this competition I give you THIS! Please take it"

Link and Zack exited the circus tent with the former clutching his reward lovingly.

"You look a bit too happy considering you got a quiver for all your effort; I was anticipating something more…flashy?"

"Like what?" the tenth rank stowed his quiver away.

"I'm not sure, a commemorative trophy, you know for bragging rights?" Zack folded his hands behind his head and laughed.

The two ambled around Castle Town, peering into stalls and shops. The ninth ranked knight took Link on a tour of the place and pointed out various interesting factoids. For instance, the water in the fountain came from Zora's domain and the town had a bug princess, at least that is what she named herself.

"Is she anything like Zelda?"

"What? No! She's some noble kid who has too much time on her hands, see, there's her mansion. Speaking of mansions, come with me, I want to show you something interesting."

Link was half dragged to the edge of Castle town by an eager Zack. Even from a distance the charred remains of a manor was visible. The Hylian found his chest constricting.

"Ta-dah" Zack waved his hand in a flourish "I present to you the haunted house of Castle t… hey, are you alright?"

"…"

"Hey, buddy?" he shook the blonde male out of a stupor.

"…Ah, this is the home I lived in when I was young. How nostalgic."

The duo stared at the dilapidated mansion, Zack gripped his Buster sword nervously, he thought Link would suggest they explore the ruins, however, he only managed to dig up unpleasant memories.

Link turned to Zack with a mischievous look, and questioned:

"Do you want to explore?"

Mere moments later, the two were walking down a burnt corridor adorned with paintings. The eerie atmosphere appealed greatly to the spiky haired male and he found himself staring at the images. Some of the pictures were damaged beyond recognition, others were miraculously intact.

"Ugh, who is this Link? My eyes are gonna fall out if I look any longer at him."

The hero scrutinized the picture in the dim light of a candle he happened to pick up during his explorations.

"Oh, this is my grandpa."

Zack blanched.

"Dude, I meant no offense, really. Your grandpa is totally good looking"

The statement earned short laugh from the Hylian.

"I didn't mind your words. Grandpa was really strict with me so I did not really like him so much, he'd always nag about one thing or another and the amount of times he spanked me is too many to count. So it was quite satisfying when I deliberately broke his gold topped cane. He went livid and I hid behind my mother and watched him rant about his life."

Zack smirked. "Quite the prankster huh?"

Several creaky staircases, twisted corridors and charred rooms later Link alighted in his parent's bedroom, the place where a younger him was picked up by Rusl and carted off into a new life. Parts of the room remained unharmed: his father's wooden desk, a brightly painted cot and an intricately designed vanity table belonging to his mother. Striding to the desk, he pulled open the drawers and began ransacking them.

"Uh buddy, what are you doing?"

"I'm searching for dad's medal…here…found it."

The tenth knight victoriously held up a golden gleaming medal, it flashed brightly in the gloom. With great care, he stowed the accolade in his pouch.

"For memories" he clarified.

Zack understood what he meant.

Exiting the mansion was rather tricky as parts of the building broke down even further when they traversed it. Outside, they took a deep breath, Link took a last glance at his former home and smiled.

"There's still time, do you want to come with Ordona with me Zack?" he queried.

"Sure! Introduce me to Ilia will you?" he brunette playfully replied.

* * *

It was a fine day, regrettably Sora was stuck in his study stamping and filing away official papers. Some while ago, his second in command had dropped by to report the results of the Master Knight's latest assignment, all had gone well. She also informed him that she had given the knights a few days off.

The fountain pen nearly dropped from his fingers.

Here he was slaving his days away whilst his subordinates get free time. A tiny spark of self-pity ingrained itself in his chest.

A little past noon; Zelda came in and busied herself with something or the other. The first knight merely toyed with his pen and looked out of the window. Finally running a hand through his hair, he turned his attention to the princess.

"Zelda" he began hesitatingly "do you want to go on a date with me?"

* * *

AN: What are they doing in Hyrule? Is Link, the hero, so poor that he can't even afford some BREAD?

For some reason, I found this chapter really difficult to write.


	24. New year's Special Chapter

A/N: NEW YEARS SPECIAL for my dear readers who kept on reading the story even though parts of it were not up to standard. This is my Thank you to you guys.

Happy New year's everybody…celebrate it whilst I whine away studying and I was writing exams! How cruel! Anyway please read, review and most importantly enjoy this chapter. I poured my heart into writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Not Legend of Zelda and certainly not Kingdom hearts.

* * *

SPECIAL CHAPTER: Part-time work and proposals.

Link pushed the covers off his body and stared at his surroundings blearily. His living quarters in the castle were lavishly decorated. Thick forest green carpeting underfoot, a huge four poster bed, the pillows were stuffed with goose down and so was the heavy quilt he snuggled in every night. He did not know if the princess ordered it, or not or if it was done to remind him of his duty, his quilt was embroidered with the golden symbol of the triforce.

Three huge golden triangles, right in the middle of the comforter.

He sat like a zombie for a couple of minutes staring at a huge painting of Ordona village; it depicted the peaceful hamlet perfectly. Muted greens blending in perfectly with hues of blue and brown made up the picturesque image. It was near the end of the month and he wanted to burrow back into his warm and comfortable bed. Why did Master Sora insist the meetings to take place so early in the morning?

Forcing himself upright, he crossed the room and threw aside the curtains to let sunlight flood his room. To remove the vestiges of sleep, he pressed his face to the cold glass window and peered outside. The view from his quarter was breath taking, since he occupied the second floor, he could see for quite a distance. He observed the flower beds decorating the southern entrance to Castle Town and beyond that, rolling hills, trees and grass. Feeling his face getting numb, he turned back, grabbed the towel and went to shower.

* * *

Securing his fingerless gloves, he made his way to the Knights' chamber and as soon as he entered, he was greeted by silence. Not even a single person was in the room. The huge rectangular table however, was decorated with numerous piles of envelopes placed in strategic intervals. On closer inspection, Link noticed that the triangular piles were placed right in front of the respective knight's thrones. He wondered what they were? Missions from Master Sora? Although he would never sent any tasks via mail, their leader personally delivered each assignment in person, no matter how mundane it would be. Making up his mind to go to the courtyard for some early morning practice, he was about to exit the room when he ran into Zack and Aqua.

The entered the room, chattering and laughing happily, seeing them, Link's spirits soared.

"Yo Link!" Greeted the spiky haired male, Aqua simply smiled and inclined her head politely.

"Hi Zack, Aqua" he greeted back and beamed. As soon as Zack spied the mounds of envelopes his face split into a gleeful grin.

"I totally forgot, its mail day today!" he exclaimed "I see you are still popular with the guys Aqua"

Something pricked Link's heart. He ignored it.

The female knight sighed and gloomily extracted a hot pink envelope, scanning the front she put it back again.

Link stared at his own pile of envelopes, although it was smaller than Zack's, it was way bigger than Auru's and the twin dragons. He reached out and took one, turning it over in his hands; the cream colored envelope was secured with a heart-shaped sticker.

"What's mail day?" he asked the ninth ranked knight slightly fearful of the answer, as he began to tear the envelope Zack screeched:

"No, no NOOOO! If you open that before Master Sora arrives, he's gonna kill you! Jeez, can't you see Aqua and I haven't even touched our stuff?" He shook his head. "Our leader will explain what these are for."

Pushing the slightly torn cover back in, the shuffled the mail around. The doors opened once more and in strode three of the four members of the House of Kingdom, the twins bounded forward and sat in their respective thrones. Black, inlaid with emerald marble for Ventus and white, veined with metallic blue strips and tessellated with slate colored tiles near the headrest for Roxas. The two of them craned their necks to look at their dark haired brother. Vanitas entered the room with a thunderous expression on his face, behind him, was a maid pushing a small trolley. The trolley was full of envelopes.

"Leave it here" he listlessly stated to the maid and gestured next to his chair.

Scowling at all the letters he received, he slumped into his seat and put on his helmet.

"You okay?" Aqua asked, her tone set in concern. Her blue eyes flitted between the small mountain of papers on the table and the extra trolley he brought with. The helmeted youth grunted.

The knights' chamber slowly filled up. Link was amused to see a different side of the knights today. When Auru entered, his normally mellow face contorted with displeasure. Sheikha simply glared before she sat down. Ashei stood at the door, her poker face morphed and she let out a frustrated shout before entering. Impa came in with a basket as well, she dumped the extra letters atop her pile and smoldered at it, as if she was trying to start a fire, her stash of envelopes covered Sora's place as well. As for the leader, his area was surprisingly empty.

A loud chatter filled the room; most of them were complaints though.

The doors to the knights' chamber swung open yet again. Standing at the entrance with his regal glory was the prince; his polite smile melted and simply fell off as he beheld the miserable visages of his knights. The numerous heaps of envelopes dampened his mood further.

'Ah, mail day' he mused 'that means' he paled, turning a wonderful shade of white.

"Stop gawking and get in" snarled Vanitas, who had retracted his helmet at his big brother's appearance "I want to burn my stash already and look" he smirked "our adorable twins has a few as well"

Ventus was eagerly pawing at a large red envelope; he picked it up and examined it, all of a sudden it burst into flames. With a dignified yelp, he let it go and watched as it burnt into cinders. Raising his head, he saw Sora dispel his key-blade with a satisfied look on his face.

"So, it is the annual mail day" Sora rested his cheek on his fist, crossed his legs and leaned back on his gold gilded throne. "This is the first time Link, Roxas and Ventus are experiencing this day, therefore let me lay down a few rules and Ashei…don't you dare interrupt me when I'm speaking."

The knight's eyes crinkled into an entertained smile.

"Firstly, on mail day, no one is permitted to open the envelopes without my permission, failure to do so would result in punishment. Secondly you have to open _each and every_ one of them without fail, some of the mail can be requests, in cases like Vanitas and Impa who simply have too many, you may burn the rest of the letters after you are tired of opening them"

What a bizarre rule thought Link.

"Thirdly" Sora continued "if there are any requests, you are to reply to them…WITHOUT FAIL"

Without fail, without fail, the words echoed in Link's head.

A grumble broke out amongst the knights.

"You may open the envelopes" he announced. Thereafter he got up and left the room.

Zack gave a delighted whoop and tore his envelopes whilst the rest tentatively reached out and poked the piles. Other knights, namely Sheikha, Ashei and Impa refused to touch theirs.

"Why do I get these?" Auru asked forlornly "I'm a married old man for goddesses' sake!"

The Hylian paused on hearing his words, in his hands were a freshly unfolded letter, as he glanced at the words he knew why the knights hated mail day. On the scented paper, written in a somewhat graceful script were four words:

' _Link, please marry me'_ it said and enclosed within was a photo of a pretty young girl.

* * *

Vanitas watched with savage glee as his younger brothers' faces turned into a brilliant shade of red. The first time he encountered mail day, he had eagerly opened up an envelope thinking it was a challenge of some sort. Instead, out fell a picture of a snotty nosed noble and a proposal from the said woman.

She was old enough to be his mom.

Sora had a chuckled at his expense, in fury, he casted a dark firaga and burned the rest of the envelopes down. Since then, he had become notoriously popular and respected amongst the fellow knights.

Those were good times, till big brother Sora imposed the dumb rule of them having to _reply_ to these nonsensical proposals and requests.

' _Vanitas, as the first daughter from the House of Rosiette, I would make a fitting bride for you'_

' _Please be my prince charming'_

' _You are wonderful and dreamy. With your handsome looks you are sure to steal many hearts, won't you steal mine?'_

' _Save my cat'_ he looked at the request with surprise, thereafter he crumpled the paper and tossed it aside.

' _You promised'_ promise what? He thought in irritation.

And so on it went.

On the other end of the table, Link trembled. The expressions 'I love you and marry me' were burned into his brain, several photographs littered his place, covering his knees and some of them floated to the floor. He gaped at the ceiling with interest. The fresco depicted two figures. A royal princess, judging by the garb, was presenting a sword to an armored man kneeling before her. In that moment he understood, the princess was knighting the soldier.

The Knights' chamber, what a fitting name.

A loud explosion shook him out of his daze. Roxas had pushed back his chair and drawn his key-blades. Instead of a modest pile of letters in front of him, there was a small mound of smoking ash. He looked ready to explode. Grabbing Ven, the duo marched out of the room with their heads held high.

"No warning huh?" Ashei drawled.

"Is it okay if I burn mine's as well" Aqua inquired in a small voice.

"Yeah. But first, take off your ranking and go hand it to my brother; he will be in his study. Then go back home" Vanitas harshly replied and her shoulders slumped.

"He he he, she looks pretty" Zack dreamily pointed to a picture of a young lady sporting dark green eyes and a mass of brown curls pulled into a ponytail. Sighing contently he put the photo aside and tore open another envelope, his grin only grew wider on reading the message.

' _Lets hang out at the Olympus Coliseum'_ it wrote, a small photo fell out depicting blurry yellow spikes and a background consisting of what appeared to be a tier of seats. Taking out a pen, the ninth ranked knight quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and started to reply to it.

Link watched the other knights; all of them were busy pulling out sheets of paper and replying to the letters, some of them have been kept aside. On asking, Impa replied that the knights could do certain quests if they wanted to. It affected their social position and public image, therefore the more requests they did, the more the public will appeal to them. Of course it went without saying that the Noble houses were always preferred above other ordinary individuals.

Was she trying to motivate or depress Link?

Determination anew, he decided to look for a few requests…however…

' _I'd like to go on a date with you'_

' _A date please~'_

' _DATE ME!'_ Link shoved the letter away from his face; he could practically hear the spoilt girl demanding this sort of thing.

' _Urgently need a bodyguard to protect me from a vicious criminal'_ Grasping at straws, he clutched the paper like his life depended on it. The sender turned out to be another rich noble.

Whatever, at least it's something.

Feeling slightly hopeful, the rushed through the remaining messages with frightening speeds. Zack glanced at him with alarm as Link's pupils shrank and his breathing became ragged. There was a soft growl emitting from the pit of his throat.

The black haired knight paid no attention to his shape-shifting friend.

Twilight, the sun's setting rays trickled through the large windows of the chamber and painted everything with a crimson shade. His hands were aching to a remarkable degree and a grain of pity lodged in his heart for his friends and especially for Vanitas. Link put his quill down and rotated his wrist, feeling the pain slowly ebbing away. Next to him Zack and the other knights scribbled furiously. With his heightened vision, the tenth rank picked up beads of sweat dotting Impa's face as she kept on writing. The scratching sound of quills on paper filled and reverberated throughout the room.

Vanitas' pale face was two, no, three shades paler. Something snapped between his fingers and he let the ink from the broken quill bleed over his completed letter. His eyes widened with rage and the fourth and fifth ranked knights could see a vein pulsing in his forehead. He was livid, probably; poor second son of the House of Kingdom has to do some ridiculous request once more.

"How long till the moon comes out?" he hoarsely queried, his tone sounded pathetic.

"Several hours," Impa curtly droned "get back to work or I'll report to Sora."

The noble had opened his mouth to speak, the sound of his brother's name wisely shut him up and he went back to his work, extracting a new quill and re-writing the letter again.

* * *

Finally done.

Or not.

Earlier that day, after Sora exited from the knights' chamber, he went straight to his study and opened the door.

And immediately regretted it. His moderately large desk was full of envelopes. His chair was full of envelopes. His floor was carpeted with an assortment of envelopes and gifts.

"I'm married" he spoke to no-one in particular and entered the room, swiping his chair free of letters he sat down and cleared his desk with an aeroga (because and aerora couldn't do the job) pulling out a ream of papers he began to tear the envelopes and read the letters and messages inside like a well-oiled machine.

Sometime in the afternoon, Zelda had walked in; it had become a customary practice so he did not mind her simply wandering about in the room or staring at him. Instead of doing those, she came straight to his desk and put down a cup of tea. On meeting his questioning gaze she blushed modestly.

"For you, it must be difficult to sit still and answer all of those documents" she clarified shyly, twiddling her thumbs. For his part, Sora nodded mutely and faced his task.

By evening, his shoulders were stiff and sore, he worked non-stop. Of course now that he was a prince, he was exempted from doing requests. It astonished him to find people still sent him marriage proposals. Refusing to even shift in his chair, he tossed another letter to the ground and was pleasantly surprised to feel gentle hands giving him a massage.

He couldn't help it, heat rose in his cheeks. The feeling of fatigue subsided and he felt his eyes getting droopy.

"I'll just take a five minute nap" he muttered and slumped over on his desk.

The moon had come out, a luminous disk shining in the dark sky, to the feverishly working knights; it meant the end of replying to their mail. Quickly stuffing his letter written on expensive parchment, in an equally expensive envelope, Vanitas hauled his trolley and dumped the rest of the unopened letters on the table. Link saw Impa doing the same as well, she up-ended her basket in an unceremonious manner at the head of the table. The rest of the knights gleefully pushed their individual piles to the center. The blue-glass table top now had a countless letters neatly arranged in a long column running down the length of the table. Thereafter, the members all shifted their chairs about a meter or so away from the Knights table and waited. Link, understandably confused, merely copied their movements with no comprehension whatsoever.

"Keep you requests and your replied letters with you" Impa ordered. Only Link scrambled up and retrieved his letters. Once done, Vanitas, with a disturbing grin plastered on his face clambered onto Sora's throne. He stood on it and summoned Void-gear, the black weapon melting in with the shadows cast in the room.

"Dark firaga" he commanded and set the pile before him aflame. The Hylian watched in morbid fascination as the letters lit up like a fuse. The black fire extinguished the orange glows of the candles as it raced along the papered path. A dark inferno blazed and mingled with the pale white light coming from the moon. Link sighed involuntarily; the dancing flames illuminated by light would forever be a sight to remember. As the fire died down and the smell of cinders assaulted his nose, the blonde knight found himself wondering if he just took part in some cult practice. It sure felt like it from the way Vanitas was cackling with mirth. The adolescent was still standing on Sora's throne.

In his study, Sora did the same. Watching the letters curl and writhe in an orange blaze, he found an odd sensation of satisfaction.

The next morning:

Sora had assembled the knights in the courtyard and questioned them on the requests they had taken. Impa, Sheikha, Ashei, Aqua and Auru had all accepted only one request. Link and Zack took two. The most astonishing one was Vanitas himself.

"Six" he replied "I took one for Roxas and Ventus as well; they are required to serve as waiters in fancy restaurant" he clarified, "so in the end, I only have five"

The first knight shook with rage.

"Who is the sender of the request?" he spoke with barely contained wrath "to ask the members the members of the House of Kingdom to serve as waiters…such audacity…"

"We'll get free food whenever we go there if they complete this task" Vanitas chimed, he seemed uncharacteristically happy.

'So that's the real reason' Sora deliberated 'no wonder.'

"Link, what did you take?" the prince directed his question at the Hylian.

"Guard request Sire, I have to protect someone for a day"

"I see, it is a fitting request for a knight, unfortunately…I don't get those anymore. Anyway, do you have formal wear? No doubt the assignment came from an upper class noble. You can't waltz into their estate with your everyday battle wear. If you don't have anything, Vanitas will borrow you one of his suits."

The brunette in question remained impassive.

"Master Sora, did you accept a request?" Aqua politely probed.

"No, there was one I wanted to take though. The Goron patriarch had invited Zelda and myself for a day out…like what is Zelda going to do there? The place is only filled with Goron males, is she going to watch me have a sumo-wresting contest or something?" he trailed off as the knights stared at him.

"…Forget what I said, and wipe those images from your minds" he sputtered an order and vanished. The rest of the knights too, scattered in groups.

"Come with me" Vanitas ordered.

No matter how many times he came here, he was still impressed. This time he stood awkwardly in Vanitas' spacious room decorated with emblems and painted in a pleasant shade of yellow. Undoubtedly at Sora's insistence. The noble was sitting on his bed, swinging his dangling legs in a childish manner as he observed Link shrugging into one of his tailored suits. It fit the blonde male perfectly, if not a little tight. The material was charcoal black and not a speck of dust could be seen on it. Underneath, Link sported a white shirt and a red tie. However Vanitas frowned at his appearance.

"Red doesn't suit you" he stated and then bellowed "VENTUS! Come here with one of your green ties"

The young noble flew in a few minutes later holding a silk tie in a color so perfectly jade, Link's eyes lit up. He was handed the piece of cloth and he reverently wound it around his neck. Once done he scrutinized his reflection in the full-body ornate mirror in the room.

"Good, looks good on you" Vanitas complimented "the tie matches your eyes…Now get out" his tone turned characteristically harsh.

Outside, Link glanced at the darkening sky…did he just take an entire day to get changed?

Strapping his Master sword to his waist, he made his way to the address, after several minutes of jumping over roof tops; he alighted before a tastefully decorated mansion and stiffened as he heard a slight ripping sound. The noise would be obscure to human ears, not to Link, he possessed heightened hearing and sight. Panicking, he quickly checked the suit for a visible sign of tear and was relieved when the found none. Smoothing out wrinkles, he strode towards the double doors and knocked.

The doors opened and revealed a girl who might be a few years younger than Link; her form was cloaked in a bejeweled purple dress. Her curtain of straw-blonde hair was left un-styled and an intricate spiraling tattoo was inked on her porcelain face in a myrtle green color. Dark eyes, fringed with thick eyelashes peered at him as she gave a polite bow.

"May I know your name Sir?"

"Link, Master Knight rank tenth" he automatically replied and saw the noble frown.

"…How do you expect to guard me wearing that?" she burst out; her voice was not loud though. The whispered words froze the knight. "I thought you were a guest with the attire you pitched up in! Can you even fight wearing the suit?"

"I'm capable enough" the male replied stiffly, he was feeling offended. Here Vanitas had graciously lent a suit Link wouldn't be able to buy even if he sold his house, and this lady was criticizing Master Sora's choice of putting him in a tuxedo.

"Then please come in" her brusque manner melted as she welcomed him.

On the other side of Castle Town, in the waiting room of a high-class restaurant Roxas frowned and observed Aqua pressing out the folds of her pencil skirt.

"Why didn't you tell us we would be working in the same place?" he queried tiredly "I was exhausted from worrying" he complained further.

At this moment, Ventus exited from the changing room and the blue haired knight beamed at him. Roxas looked at his brother in a grey shirt and a black apron covering his slacks. Wearing the uniform, the youngest noble appeared older than his real age. Huffing, Roxas too entered the changing room and altered his clothes, he was about to head out, instead, a tube lying on the floor caught his eye. Picking it up, he examined it. The label said: Hair gel. Feeling mischievous, he poured a huge quantity of it and began to apply it on his hair. His grin widening as he did so.

Aqua sat down on the couch and waited for the twin to appear; she had fixed Ventus' hair and rolled up his shirt sleeves to mid-elbow. The boy sat next to her and they talked about their friends, just then a blonde Sora walked out of the changing area.

Or what seemed like a blonde Sora to Aqua and Ventus.

"Pretty neat huh?" he smirked as Ventus' irises dilated with admiration. "I look just like our big brothers"

Amidst chuckles the trio set off to work.

Despite not smiling or dishing out compliments to their customers, the noble twins were an instant success. Roxas had been informed to fix his hair by the manager and he pouted unhappily as Aqua combed it back to normal. Balancing two trays on either hand, he expertly weaved himself amongst throngs of people and delivered his orders with a straight face, not a frown nor a polite smile cracked his or Ventus' visages. Meanwhile, Aqua smiled brightly and was given admiring looks by the visitors. She spoke in a soft cheerful tone and was a delight to be served by.

The restaurant began to fill with people. The lanterns dotting the place were made brighter. As a special service requested by the owner, the twin nobles were now serving their patrons together, balancing a single tray amongst them, their voices were robotic, however, it did not stop young girls from sighing in pleasure once they came into view.

"Thank you for coming" the duo bowed "please return here again" they droned simultaneously as camera's flashed to take exclusive pictures of them in waiter garbs. Even the media had gotten wind of their work and now hot air balloons (bearing logos) and cameras were pointed to the eatery. Forced out of their original work, Roxas and Ventus found themselves ushered in front of a camera as rabid news reporters took pictures and conducted an impromptu interview. Roxas itched to summon his dual key-blades, it would take him mere moments to disperse this crowd if he commanded his pillars of light to destroy this place.

Inside, Aqua continued about with her work, glad not to be part of Hyrule's noble class.

* * *

He entered the giant hall and nearly fainted in shock. Impa was there.

Impa was there wearing a dress.

Wearing an evening gown.

She wore an outfit in the shade of her hair, a sparkling silver. The gown was cinched at the waist with a wide golden belt and the lower part of the dress flowed in numerous folds. Ruby colored stones (or probably real rubies) were worked in her bodice. Her hair had been left untouched. Next to her stood a tall man with jet black curls falling fashionably into his eyes, a tattoo similar to his charge's was also inked across his face. He received favorable looks from the people around him and even though he was male, Link too agreed this person was very handsome.

But what was he doing with Impa? Peering at Impa with all his might, he noticed a faint blush on her dark cheeks. Link reeled.

"Big brother, ever the charmer isn't he" spoke a whispery voice next to him.

"What do I have to do?" He asked in an effort to clear his mind.

"Simple, protect me" she stated and the lights in the mansion went out. Without wasting a heartbeat he smoothly drew his sword and almost shrieked as sharp nails dug into his skin. Fumbling about, he located his master's slender arm and proceeded to drag her to the illuminated balcony.

"Are you okay?" he queried.

"I'm fine" she answered in a trance like tone, her gaze was fixated on a masked man before her. "Kill him," she ordered.

In response, the Hylian sniffed, crouching low, he readied his stance and jumped, landing on the roof. Charging, he cut the mask in half without harming the face of the person underneath. Spinning, he stopped his blade right at the intruder's throat. The young man was shaking in fear; his eyes were glazed like marbles.

"Why?"

Link pressed the blade of the Master sword closer and an audible swallow could be heard from the man.

"Didn't you hear what I said Link? I asked you to kill him" floated her voice.

The knight turned his sharp gaze on her.

"He is scared, and I notice no darkness from him. This person asked a question please answer it"

Link eased the pressure on his sword.

"Why," his lips quivered out a question "are you doing this to me Rosemanelle? I thought you…you loved me"

The Hylian could hear the desperate beating of his heart, he glanced at the lady standing below. She hung her head and refused to look at them.

"Answer his question" Link hissed irritably.

"Don't you understand" she shouted and raised her face "I'm engaged to someone else you dolt! Forget about me and find someone else. Every time you sneak in, father searches for you in an effort to kill you. I tired scaring you away, but you don't listen!" The blonde knight could see glistening tears streaking down her face. "Leave…please" her hypnotic voice cracked.

The man crumbled into a heap, he slid down from the roof top and disappeared into the shadows.

"You've done a superb job, you are dismissed. Your task has been completed successfully" without waiting for an answer, she floated back into the mansion. Link jumped down from the roof and watched in horror at his suit. Numerous gashes and thin holes were peppered into it. He noticed four big holes on the forearm.

Vanitas was going to kill him, he decided.

He wanted to go back to his quarters but curiosity led him back inside the regal mansion. His eyes searched for the second knight and upon finding her, he slinked closer. He could hear Aqua's admonishing tone at the back of his head, rebuking him for violating someone's privacy. Feeling guilty he followed Impa around the grand ballroom, keeping to the shadows of pillars and hiding behind tapestries and curtains. Her normally stern face was stretched into a polite smile and her company held her hand.

The situation felt surreal.

"What are you doing? I thought I asked you to go home already!" snapped a voice. It was the girl. Rosemanelle.

"Um…" he cast a quick look at his targets who were getting further away.

"You want to know why big brother and the second knight are together?" she guessed the question plaguing his mind. Link nodded in defeat and squashed himself closer to the walls.

"The knight came in one day through our roof fighting a huge beast. She landed on the floor; covered in blood and gore…my brother saw her and became infatuated. He's been asking for her hand for the past couple of years and she refuses him every time. Obviously our family is against it, I wouldn't want a barbarian as a sister in law."

Clutching the heavy curtains tighter, Link gritted his teeth and contemplated whether this girl's existence was to royally tick him off.

"She is not a barbarian" he snarled "it's because of people like her that the public can live in peace. Enjoy your night further." Shoving past the female, he began making his way outside, his eyes catching the duo in an embrace as he did so.

* * *

The black haired noble eyed him with distaste and Link quaked.

"Do you know how much that clothing cost?" Vanitas' voice was a seductive whisper, seductive because it sounded neutral. Deep down the Hylian knew the brunette was imagining one hundred and one ways to kill him.

"I'm sorry" he repeated, subconsciously covering up the rips and tears in the suit.

"Give me Ven's tie and leave my sight, I don't want to see your wretched face in front of me again" the noble ordered and Link fumbled with the strip of cloth around his neck, slipping it out, he gave it to the third knight, bowed several times and vanished from the scene.

"And it was my favorite suit" Vanitas mumbled to thin air.


	25. Chapter 24: Conflict of the heart

AN: Good old family conflict. I'm currently going through one know and believe me people. It is not easy on the soul. Please read and review, as always constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

BTW, did the readers like the special chapter? Something happened to fanfiction over the new year period so I couldn't view what was going on with my stories…gave me heart attack as well. Like WTH.

Also, a big Thank you to The Reader II for favoriting and alerting my story. Once again POWER!

Disclaimer: I do not and will not own KH and Legend of Zelda, the most I can do is come up with these stories.

* * *

Chapter 24: Conflict of the heart

The knight's vacation came and went in a flash. Stories were swapped around the table: Impa and Sheikha visited their village deep in the mountains. Ashei trekked back to Snowpeak and spent her time snowboarding with her family and the abominable snow-creatures Yeto and Yeta. As for Auru, he together with his family and Shad decided to view the Gerudo Kingdom ruins. Link took Zack to Ordon village and spent a couple of days herding goats, goofing off with the local children and fishing. Members of the House of Kingdom, along with Aqua retreated to their native worlds for the duration of the break. Vanitas declined to speak about how their days went, however, it was apparent something had happened. The twins looked far from refreshed, to the keen observer, they looked downright unhappy. Aqua too appeared uneasy. And amongst all of this, no-one knew what prince Sora was up to.

A loud yawn broke the cordial silence surrounding the knights.

"What do we do now?" Zack warbled, he got up, gave another yawn and stretched.

"I wasn't given any assignments." Impa replied.

"Can't you issue on of your own yeah? You're the leader now" Ashei spoke.

"Temporary leader" came the soft reply "I do not have authority to do as I please"

Hearing this, Link sunk low in his seat; he pulled his hat in an effort to cover his embarrassed face.

The second knight sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Since we have nothing to do, I propose training" she stated "for the others, I advise recon missions, however if you feel like declining, you are free to do so. Dismissed."

At first, none of the knights moved, then slowly Vanitas left first and Impa followed him. Aqua, Zack and Link huddled together and kept on chatting till the room emptied out except for them. Getting up, the Hylian announced that he had some training to do and after smiling widely at the duo, he too departed to the castle courtyard.

* * *

Link wiped sweat from his brow, training with the ball and chain was truly tiring and he missed the twin dragon's presence as well. Despite the fact that they were not allowed to freely mingle with him, Roxas and Ventus both took their time and dropped by whenever he was busy training in the courtyard. They simply sat on a low stone wall and traded jokes or made conversation and from some of the words Link managed to overhear, their main topic centered on Sora. His absence was affecting them quite a lot.

Focusing on a target before him, the tenth knight twirled his weapon above his head and lashed it out expertly. The spiky sphere was abruptly hurled back before it struck the wooden doll and Link caught it without injuring himself. Satisfied with his handling of the deadly metal ball, he braced himself and repeated the above training, however, this time his concentration was broken by the angry mutterings of familiar voices. Turning around, he let the weapon crash into the dummy as he observed Ventus briskly walking away from a fuming Roxas.

The elder twin's visage resembled Vanitas' expression. Dark and intimidating.

Striding up to Link with a happy grin plastered on his face Ven greeted:

"Hello Link"

The older knight greeted back and ruffled Ven's hair; thereafter he looked at Roxas who grudgingly mumbled an incoherent greeting.

"Don't worry about Roxas" the younger twin placated "he's just mad because he couldn't see his friend Axel over the holidays and also…big brother Sora told us not to see you anymore" he mournfully finished.

"Exactly Ven, let's leave, I don't want to get into any more troub-"

"But he is not here" Ventus whined.

Roxas drew his hands into fists and felt nails biting into his skin. A feeling of restlessness descended on him, he felt like he was being watched ever since he stepped into Destiny Islands. Explaining all of this to his younger brother will prove to be futile. He was all sunshine and rainbows till the truth smacked him hard in the face. Right now, he wanted to get away from the castle, an enraged Sora was the last thing he wanted to encounter, alas, Ven insisted on hanging around the courtyard where it was extremely easy for someone to spy them.

Roughly grabbing Ven's hand, he proceeded to forcibly haul him away; unfortunately the boy yanked his hand out and ran in the opposite direction.

"Ventus" Roxas hissed "get back here…NOW!"

On the receiving end, both his brother and Link flinched. It was uncharacteristic for Roxas to be this heated up.

Rising up to Roxas' inexplicable attitude, Ventus yelled at him:

"Stay away from me, you've been acting weird ever since we went home, it burns when you touch me."

Hearing this Roxas reeled and blanked out.

Facing Link, Ventus related the events taking place in Destiny Islands. The holidays had begun with a festive air but quickly morphed into a chaotic one. Vanitas would leave the house early every morning and if he was asked where he went, he simply gave vague answers. Slightly suspicious of his elder brother's motives, Roxas formulated a mischievous plan consisting of tailing him and ruining any undercover mission he happened to be assigned to. One morning they both set off determinedly only to be lost in the world between worlds. How Roxas managed to return both of them home, was a question Ventus asked one too many times. Like Vanitas he declined to comment and upon reaching to clap his younger twins back, a searing pain shot through Ven's body, as he recoiled, he saw the older twin's hand was covered in dark energy.

The incident was imprinted in his mind. As much as he wanted to forget it, each time they held hands, his palms would burn like fire.

He wondered if Roxas was doing it deliberately. The mere thought of it hurt.

Link was at a loss for words. Sure he understood Ven's predicament however, it was not his place to instruct the young noble on what to do. Besides, his older brother was in shock. Treading over to him, he gently touched his shoulder; Roxas' response was to instantaneously launch himself towards Ventus.

"Get away from me, I know you are using the powers of darkness" Ventus screamed.

This time, Roxas and Link froze. The statement was a grave accusation.

"Calm down Ven, your brother only wants the best for you" Link attempted to diffuse the situation.

"No he does not, Roxas likes getting himself into trouble and it's one of the reasons why he can use two key-blades instead of one. And he got turned into a Nobody by those organization members Sora defeated." Ventus panted, his eyes were dilated with fear as he rambled on "Roxas can use both darkness and light, he chooses not to utilize the darkness because it gives the members of our house a bad reputation."

Ven's words washed over the Hylian like a tidal wave, he had no idea what the boy was shouting about although it sounded serious. And for Roxas, the youngster stood there and glared at his brother with hate.

"Ventus" Link spoke mildly "It's not nice to call your brother a nobody."

You're totally missing the point Link.

"He's still one of them" the younger twin prattled on, ignoring the older knight "I bet our big brothers don't know you can control those…those Samurai nobodies right…I know, you-"

The rest of the sentence was cut off by a vicious blow to his face courtesy of Roxas. Ven staggered back with a dumbfounded look and then quickly recovering from his apparent astonishment, he too struck his brother across the jaw and was rewarded by Roxas punching him brutally in the gut. Ventus wheezed a couple of times, crouched low and tackled his twin to the ground where they rolled around, kicking, screaming and throwing up dust.

"STOP IT YOU TWO" Link bellowed, trying in vain to detangle the scuffling nobles.

They paused on hearing his voice, Roxas gripped Ven by his shirt while the latter clutched his brother's neck, the duo simultaneously frowned at the tenth knight and in unison screeched:

"Shut up!"

Amidst thumps, shrieks and growls, Link picked up snippets of the continuing argument the twins were having. It seems Ventus thought his brother had turned rogue whilst Roxas insisted he had not.

"You…you used them to take us out of the world…in between worlds…" rasped Ven "nobodies…you can summon nobodies…not even Vanitas can do…" he punctuated his sentence with a kick.

"LISTEN! Yes I can summon them. I did it to get us out. I was desperate because it is really dangerous to be stuck in between worlds. STOP IT!" Roxas clawed the hand that was slowly putting pressure on his throat "Sorry, I didn't know…it would hurt you. I'M Sorry Ven. Owww" he moaned as his brother drove a fist into his head

"Stopga" droned a voice and the twins froze in time. Roxas was curled up miserably on the floor and Ventus in an action of trying to hit him, anger and pain stamped on his visage.

Sora stood before the petrified duo and inspected them carefully. They were bleeding in several places. One had a bloody nose and a swollen lip while the other sported a red mark around his throat. The fight had been extremely serious. For as long as he'd known them, his twin brothers would never, ever brawl like this. Sure the occasional punching and kicking was normal but blood, no, they had never drawn blood. Briefly scanning Link, he motioned to the knight to stand next to him. The command was promptly obeyed

"What happened" questioned Sora

"They were arguing at first and it turned out like this."

"…I see. I suppose you tried to stop them. From the looks of it, they did not heed you."

"Yes sir. I apologize for not being able to do anything" Link bowed.

As Stopga's time ran out and the duo unfroze the first knight kneeled before them and demanded in a hushed tone:

"I want an explanation, why are you two acting like this?"

Seeing Sora standing there, Ven immediately ran over, grabbed his elder brother in a steel grip and started bawling his eyes out. He began to explain the happenings leading to the squabble when a multitude of Samurai nobodies popped up, the creatures unsheathed their swords and instead of attacking the knights, they grouped together; surged towards Roxas and bowed down to him.

"Go…go AWAY. LEAVE ME ALONE!" Roxas flailed and howled.

A storm of thundaga disintegrated the nobodies. Hoisting Ventus on to his back, the prince walked towards Roxas and sat down next to him, thereafter he pulled Ven on to his lap and attempted to do the same to the shell-shocked twin, only to have a burning pain shoot through his hand. Ignoring the sting, he vigorously dragged an unwilling Roxas next to him.

"Link" Sora commanded "make sure no-one enters the courtyard."

The knight saluted and went to guard the entry.

Under the blue sky, three siblings sat peacefully. After considerable time had passed the youngest member of the House of Kingdom begun snoring peacefully, heaving a sigh, the eldest turned towards Roxas and observed him drawing circles in the dirt.

"So…it seems you have some rather unique abilities?"

"Ventus hates me" replied the boy.

Sora closed his eyes, and willed the pain to numb; he was not going to let his sweet little brother turn out to be like Vanitas.

"The powers of darkness are not a bad thing Roxas, if you balance it out with light, it makes a formidable combination. Stop trying to suppress it, you will eventually be devoured."

"He says I hurt him…" the blonde whispered "when I use darkness, I hurt him…that is why I keep it hidden. I don't understand why Vanitas can use darkness and not hurt anyone. Why?" he sniffed.

"Because instead of harming us Vanitas gets hurt in the process, it is the reason why he keeps his distance." Sora answered.

"…Oh…I guess it must be really painful and annoying to be with us."

The conversation was not going the way the first knight expected.

"No Roxas we are all different, however this does not mean we don't love and respect each other. What's stopping Vanitas from leaving our home huh? Tell me" he gently urged.

"…I dunno"

"We're his family and despite him denying it, there is no question that he loves his brothers very much even if…even if we are painful to be around. Do you understand? Once Ven calms down, everything will go back to normal, you'll see."

"No…" Roxas muttered wiping away stray tears.

"Hmm?"

"Ven and I won't be the same anymore. He'll forever be afraid to approach me."

At these words, Sora cast a glance at Ventus who was currently fast asleep and drooling on his clothes. He shook the boy awake. Ven rubbed his eyes and stared at Roxas. Sliding off his brother's lap, he sat on the bare ground and nervously picked his fingers. The prince rose, dusted his clothes and smiled at them.

"Ven, Roxas, learn to accept each other's differences okay? Once you do, you'll find holding Roxas' hand does not hurt an-" something sharp stabbed him in the back and on looking down he saw a dark, swirling vortex in place of his chest. A torrent of monsters and dark creatures spewed forth, the force of it driving him backwards. Through his hazy vision, he witnessed his younger brothers spring up from the dirt, pupils wide with terror and perhaps disbelief. A thousand thoughts churned in his mind as he lurched rearwards and fell to the floor. His eyes remained open and unblinking.

"Ganondorf…WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Roared the twins and in tandem materialized their key-blade in flashes of light.

The villain merely laughed and vanished from the scene.

"WAIT YOU-" Roxas shrieked

"Roxas, we need to take care of the monsters first and get big brother out of here."

The enraged twin calmed down a bit.

"Right" he stated "let's get Sora out of here." He offered a lopsided grin to Ven.

* * *

Somewhere in the vast world of Kingdom Hearts, a bald Xehanort cackled horribly, the sound of his laughter shattered a window in the already decrepit room he was sitting in.

"My plan is proceeding perfectly" he hoarsely said "breaking the bond was easy, all I did was to stimulate the darkness in Roxas and this is the result!" a dramatic arm gesture followed his self-praise.

"And now with Sora gone, perfect, I can finally undertake the completion of Kingdom Hearts"

On the other end of the room, Ganondorf paid scant attention to his co-conspirator. He did not even know what this 'Kingdom Hearts' was.

"Does this mean I can finally get rid of Link?" he harshly questioned.

"Heh. Do what pleases you" smirked Xehanort "my student will return to me shortly therefore I will have no need of you"


	26. Chapter 25: Trapped in plight

A/N: Back with another chapter people! Please read and review and for the risk of sounding like a broken record: *robot voice* constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you and over.

Disclaimer: I will never own LOZ nor KH nor the colorful characters making up their games. Poor me.

* * *

Chapter 25: Trapped in Plight

The courtyard was full of monsters.

Ventus panted with effort and wondered why Link hadn't come to their aid. Getting rid of thousands of heartless was really tiring, not to mention the vortex in Sora's chest kept spewing out more beasts. As he threw his key-blade in a fire raid, a crafty deku baba caught his weapon and began chomping on it.

"That thing is eating Wayward wind" he sputtered.

Roxas jumped forward and got rid of the monster, retrieving Ven's weapon he threw it at him.

Catching the key-blade, Ven activated his Fever pitch command style and executed an Ars Arcanum, a large chunk of the space was cleared thanks to the move and by the time Ventus' fever pitch died down, he was puffing and sweating profusely. Taking deep breaths, he watched his older twin deal with the horde of enemies by continuously spamming Salvation.

"They just keep on coming" wheezed Roxas "where is big brother Vanitas anyway? He was supposed to be here ages ago, didn't he feel anything?" Blocking an attack he resumed speaking "Ven, let's work together, perhaps the hole in Sora's chest will close if we defeat them all at once."

"Okay" Ven agreed, raising his key-blade he shouted "Zero Graviga"

Instantaneously the swarm of mixed monsters floated in the air and an eerie silence descended in the courtyard. Both the boys summoned tornadoes and the howling winds reduced shadows, heartless and Hylian beasts into vanishing streams of darkness, thereafter due to extreme fatigue Ventus almost crashed to the ground.

Almost.

Roxas briefly caught his brother and realizing the implications of his actions, he immediately let go.

"Ouch" whimpered Ven as his head hit the floor "Roxas, what did you do that for?"

The person in question scratched the back of his head. "Sorry I forgot. Touching you means hurting you."

A tense silence stretched between them and the older twin went to inspect the prince laying spread eagled on the ground. He stared somberly into the dark cavity within Sora's chest and after sparing a quick glance at Ven, who was still sitting on the ground; he gingerly reached into the space and plunged his hand in.

And he screamed.

Hearing his shriek, Ventus hurtled over and grasped him by the waist and pulled, however, it seemed as if the dark hole did not want to let Roxas go. Gripping his brother tighter Ven hauled with all his might whilst his twin shouted at him to let him go.

"Leave me Ven, you're gonna burn yourself"

In response the boy held him tighter and tugged, Roxas felt like his joints were dislocating till something popped and he was set free. To top of his sweet escape, a large multitude of dream eaters and armos statues came out of the hole and began assailing them. The twins moved backwards with Ven clutching onto Roxas' jacket. They were both exhausted, scared (because what in the name of Hyrule was going on?) and in the case of the older twin, extremely irritated. He tried to materialize his key-blades, alas for some reason his weapons wouldn't come to him. Shielding Ven and steadily inching backwards he tried to think of a plan to get them both out of this predicament.

"Roxas…Why isn't any of the knights coming? Where is Vanitas or Link? What happened to big brother So-"

"Quiet Ven and stop holding me" snapped the irate boy.

"…I'm tired" replied the youngster "…we need to get Sora out of here or else…we're going to die" Ven gloomily declared " I can't fight anymore…can't you ask them to help us?"

"Them?" puzzled Roxas.

Ven swallowed hard before replying.

"Your Samurai nobodies" he exhaled. "Please, I won't be afraid of them anymore"

Casting a long, hard look at his twin's blood and sweat stained face, Roxas braced himself and urged them to come out. Appearing without delay, they unsheathed their swords and leapt into battle. Grabbing Ven, the older noble ran all the way to Sora and crouched next to him.

"How do we get him back to the castle? I doubt dragging him will be suitable, he'd spill monsters and who knows what along the way and we have no help."

"Dark corridors" mused Ventus

"I can't create those Ven…think of something else."

"Try Roxas! We can try together." The younger boy's eyes were alight with conviction. Tightly holding Roxas' hand he closed his eyes and concentrated, glancing at their intertwined hands and wondering if he was still hurting Ven, he too hesitantly shut his eyes and willed the space in front of him to tear. Several long minutes went by when a jubilant shout next to him prompted him to look.

They had succeeded in creating a dark corridor, despite their circumstances the duo could not help but give a shout of glee.

* * *

Princess Zelda's heart nearly stopped when a dark corridor opened up next to her throne, exiting out of it were the 7th ranked knights, their appearance suggested they were fighting a ferocious battle. Even more shocking was the way they dragged an unconscious Sora whilst being chased by a pack of monsters.

"Close it. CLOSE IT!" Ventus screamed desperately.

Roxas' face screwed up in concentration, and moments later the pathway winked out of existence. Before they could turn around and implore the princess to help them, Sora's prone body arched and expelled another bunch of beasts. It took all of the twins' willpower not to keel over on the spot. Ventus called on his key-blade and waited expectantly for his elder brother to do the same. Unfortunately Roxas merely stood there like zombie.

"…Oathkeeper and Oblivion won't come to me" he hesitantly spoke.

A rain of flashing arrows took care of the hissing beasts before them. Whirling backwards, the duo observed Zelda elegantly lowering her bow. Her expression betrayed no feelings. She calmly strode towards them and enquired what had happened.

"Ganondorf stabbed Sora and he…became like that" Roxas pointed to his comatose brother

"None of the other knights came to our aid, not even Link or Vanitas" Ventus added.

"And I can't summon my key-blades" Roxas continued.

"…I'm tired and scared"

The last statement from Ven prompted Zelda and Roxas to gaze at him. The youngster's blonde hair was smudged with dirt and his head hung low.

"Please help us princess" they chorused "if we leave him as is, he's going to keep on ejecting those creatures non-stop." Ventus finished.

"I understand, don't worry. I'll do my best to take care of him." The sides of her mouth curved into a soothing smile. "Please go inside and rest, you two must be exhausted."

Instead of bolting to Sora's study the boys simply stood there.

"…Perhaps you want to see your brother safe? In that case follow me. This will sound bad, but we have to encase him in a magical pod and guard him." Zelda explained, clasping her hands in front of her and walking out of the throne room with the twins in a tow.

"But he's unconscious" Roxas argued "why do you need to lock him up?"

"The pod will restrict the dark vortex therefore he won't be able to call out any evil creatures. Also if he is guarded we can take prompt action should he wake up."

"You make it sound as if he is bringing the monsters out purposely" Roxas scowled and Ven gasped at the accusation, he darted a quick look at the princess and was slightly relived when her visage remained calm. They trooped through the hallway and entered a grand room. Zelda confidently strode to the middle and requested for the six sages to accompany her immediately as there was an emergency.

* * *

Once again, Zelda was thrust into an unfamiliar situation. This time she woke up to another crisis, namely a comatose, monster spewing Sora and a pair of twins who claimed the knights went AWOL. She hardly felt any obligation to help the first knight (who was her alleged husband) and the thought frightened her. Was she beginning to lose sight of herself?

Gathering the six sages she paced back to the throne room and commanded one of the sages to carry Sora to the barrier room. Hearing this they all stared at her in horrific astonishment.

"My lady, you want to imprison Sire in the _pod_?" he asked incredulously.

The twins' faces morphed into bewilderment. Was she trying to kill their older brother? Why did the saints sound so horrified? For her part, the princess remained totally unfazed.

"Yes." She softly intoned "currently he is a threat to Hyrule and we have to take utmost precaution to ensure he does not cause panic. We will tell the public he is sick and as for my reason for placing him in the pod. It is for his own safety."

Any words Ventus wanted to voice out quickly died in this throat. Princess Zelda was only doing what is best for them, he assured himself.

The group marched to the so-called barrier room. As soon as he stepped in, Ventus knew why. The entire chamber was stark white with glowing symbols on the floor, across the walls of the room and even on the ceiling. The etched incantations pulsed with a pastel blue light and in the center of the room, commanding the most attention was the pod.

For an implement of imprisonment it sure was beautiful. A lotus flower shaped structure made the base of the prison and right in the middle of its pristine white petals, a crystal pod was stationed. As the sages carried his brother closer to the thing, it hissed and the glass opened up like a flower. Sora was carefully placed in there and slowly the pieces came together and snapped shut. Now the intricate cage looked more like a white bud than anything else. Having done their duty, the sages methodically moved out and placed themselves in a circle around the vessel. Holding their hands in various orphic signs, they began chanting something and at once the symbols on the floor concentrated themselves near the foot of the pod.

"Will he be okay?" Roxas quizzed.

"He will be fine and as long as I don't find a way to return him to normal, he will be housed in here. Feel free to visit anytime you want." Zelda gave a courteous smile.

"We want to help" Ventus chimed in "if all of us work together he'll be back to himself in no time. Right princess?"

His enthusiasm deflated when Zelda shook her head.

"No Ventus" she said "he…he is my responsibility now and the level of darkness stirring within him is frightening. As the princess of my people it is my duty to protect Hyrule. I need to do this alone."

The twins' shoulders sagged. Moving closer to them she gripped their shoulders comfortingly and invited them to stay at the castle for the time being. Confused, exhausted and having nothing better to do, the duo trudged to a guest room and fell fast asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

* * *

In the castle that never was, a figure lay back on a couch with his feet propped on a table. He inspected an old man on the far corner of the room waving his arms around in dramatic gestures, the man's lips were also moving but the adolescent could not hear him as he had stuffed his ears with ear-plugs, it was a precaution against Xehanort's unending rambles.

"Are you listening to me you insolent brat?"

Vanitas pulled the plugs out.

"No" he answered "…although you did a good job of getting rid of Sora, heh, trapping his mind in darkness. Not bad old timer."

"Don't you feel any remorse? He _was_ your elder brother"

The brunette closed his eyes before replying.

"Not at all, if I did, I'd help the twins before escaping here. They're probably gone or something" he shrugged "I can finally breathe without those annoying morons watching my every move" he spread his arms out wide and smirked at his mentor.

Xehanort regarded Vanitas for a few more minutes and after deciding he was indeed telling the truth, he spun around and stepped away.

"One more question" droned Vanitas and the bald man stopped in his tracks. "Was it you who helped Roxas summon his nobody underlings? If I remember correctly he had lost the ability after Sora got rid of the nobodies"

"Why yes, are you concerned?" the key-blade master's golden irises glittered with vicious glee.

"Not particularly, just…jealous. How come I can't summon dark creatures?"

A short cackle preceded Xehanort's reply.

"Who said you can't? You are the master of the Unversed, unfortunately you are too afraid to use them…something about _big brother Sora_ finding out?" the man taunted.

Vanitas' eyes smoldered with anger.

"The unversed are useless" he spat "and when they are destroyed, I feel the pain."

"Heh, I forgot to mention they could destroy you" Xehanort waved his hand "anyway, like Roxas, you lost the ability to summon them due to the influence of your brother's light. I guess you don't want them as your soldiers anymore?"

"Hell no"

"Good" the old master began walking away once more "if we want to complete Kingdom Hearts, we need to get to work. I require your services Vanitas."

The person in question kicked the table aside and got up. Summoning Void-gear, he inspected his weapon, running a gloved hand along the sliver shaft whilst his mouth curled into a smile of maniacal proportions. Holding the key-blade out in front of him he hoarsely murmured:

"I'm ready."


	27. Chapter 26: Introspection

A/N: Thank you to goddragonking for favorite-ing the story, once again it keeps me motivated . On that note, please read and review, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Also, I have a confession to make…true to the Kingdom Hearts spirit…I have no idea where this story is going. Hopefully that won't stop you guys from reading :P

Disclaimer: Although this story shares elements from KH and LOZ. I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter 26: Introspection

Zelda had a restless night and the first thing she did after breakfast was to visit the barrier room. Lowering the outer covering of the barrier she gave an inaudible gasp as she beheld the scene: Sora was still comatose; however, the clear crystal pod was half filled with a purplish black energy that seemed to be pouring out of the first knight's chest. Thankfully there were no heartless, nevertheless it invoked a sense of urgency.

Studying his uncharacteristically vacant face she reminisced the times the knight would march purposefully into the throne room, a polite smile on his face. He'd come in to deliver news, talk about Hyrule's affairs or simply to see if she was doing well. All of that changed when the blank episodes attacked. Currently Zelda's thoughts and emotions all crowded in her head almost as if trying to make up for the time they lay dormant. She felt fatigued and was in no mood to find out how to reverse this phenomenon, thinking about it, the whole process was his fault anyway, but each time she found herself wavering, his concerned face would pop up in her mind.

The princess hoped she wasn't going crazy. What would happen to Hyrule if she did?

Exiting the barrier chamber she walked all the way back to her bedroom. Staring at herself in the mirror and taking account of the bags underneath her eyes, she began to formulate a plan.

A thorough search around the room produced the results she wanted. Pulling off her elbow length gloves, she dusted an antiquated wooden box and carefully opened it. The inside was lined with black velvet and resting on the padding were a couple of royal artifacts neatly arranged beneath each other. Her fingertips brushed against the polished surface of the Ocarina of Time and her hands hovered above a diamond encrusted tiara belonging to one of her earlier reincarnations. Skipping past a tiny hourglass filled with luminous sand, her eyes alighted at the item she was looking for:

The ancient arrow of light.

Plucking it out of its hold, she studied it warily. A weapon of immense power, the arrow sported an ornate arrowhead and the shaft, instead of being smooth and cylindrical, was a twisted piece of precious metal. On closer inspection, one could see a thousand tiny figures etched on the spiraling shaft, as if it was telling a never ending story. The vanes of the arrow were made with out of a delicate material, Loftwing feathers perhaps? Zelda had read that these magical creatures existed a long time ago and were crucial in the battle between good and evil.

Clasping the box shut, she stowed it away and thereafter picked up the arrow and proceeded to wrap it around in a piece of cloth, once done she made her way to the Knights chamber.

Sitting at the head of the knight's table, princess Zelda rested her hands on the translucent glass and beheld each member carefully. Almost all of them, save for the twin dragons, sported various guilt stricken expressions. In total contrast to them, Zelda's face did not even twitch with anger.

"I assume there is a very good reason why none of you failed to aid your fellow knights who were in grave danger" she stated evenly "will someone step forward and explain to me what the rest of you were doing? Also I fail to see Vanitas, where is he?"

The eyes of every other knight swiveled to Impa. It was several long moments before she stood up and spoke:

"Princess, first of all I apologize as my explanations will sound bizarre, however, at the time of the attack we were all knocked unconscious. I checked with the other members and they all told me the same story. Link as well. I assume right before prince Sora was attacked we were taken care of in order to avoid interference. I was going about with my patrolling duties and all of a sudden everything went dark." Several heads nodded at her statement "As for Vanitas, I'm sorry princess; none of us know where he is."

The twins' faces, which were marginally hopeful since the beginning of the meeting fell into an expression of utter despair.

"Big brother Vanitas won't abandon us" Ventus muttered and the words were heard by every member in the room. Link, whose heart couldn't stand the sight of the two pathetically pitiful nobles, slid off his throne and wedged himself in between the two. Grasping their shoulders comfortingly, he gave them a gentle squeeze and a smile.

"Of course he won't, he's your brother right?" Zack flashed the duo a grin.

"Princess, may we enquire about Master Sora's status? Since you personally came here to meet with us…I believe something grave may have happened to him." Auru probed.

Before answering, the bearer of Wisdom briefly glanced at her triforce mark, in doing so her eye caught the glint of a wedding ring decorating her finger and she felt some inexplicable emotion stirring within her. Swallowing down apprehension she spoke:

"Prince Sora has once again been assaulted by the darkness, this time it proved to rather fatal. Currently he is secured in the pod located in the barrier chamber an-"

"He is in max security?" gasped Ashei and several knights bore astonished expressions.

"…please let me finish" implored Zelda.

"I'm sorry your highness, please continue" the sixth ranked knight inclined her head.

"As I was explaining, He is being held in the pod because a vortex in his chest is acting as a portal for creatures of darkness to teleport through. He is being used as a transport medium for monsters."

The princess' elaborate explanation went over most of the knight's heads, except for a select few namely Impa, Auru, Sheikha and to some extent Aqua, the rest had no clue whatsoever.

"He has a vortex on top of his chest?" Zack furrowed his eyebrows.

"No" chorused the twins "the black hole is in place of his chest" they clarified.

"So Master Sora has no chest?" Link joined in the quiz show.

"…He does have one" Roxas replied "It's just that you can't see it since the dark cyclone thing is obscuring it…I think"

The ninth ranked knight scratched his hair spikes and continued wondering:

"So…if our leader currently has no chest and therefore no heart…doesn't it make him a heartless?" he smirked playfully.

Ventus emitted a sob.

"Enough Knight Fair, you are not permitted to make such slovenly jokes." Zelda sternly stated "For your mission, I decree your leader to be second knight Impa, she will lead all of you across Hyrule in search for third knight Vanitas. You should travel in one group for safety reasons. Am I clear?"

"Yes princess Zelda!" echoed the chamber.

"My lady what about Master Sora? Should we not help him as well?" Inquired Impa

"Since he is the prince, Sora is my responsibility. Do not worry about him."

The room grew so quite it was deafening and Zelda was acutely aware of everyone staring at her.

"How cute" drawled Ashei, shattering the silence "Those same words were uttered by our first knight yeah, when you were attacked by Ganondorf."

It took all her willpower to fight down a blush. Also, the amused faces of a number of knights did not help.

"Anyway" the princess of Hyrule calmly continued "we need to complete our tasks as soon as possible. To avoid panic, I ask you to relay to the public the news of Sora being ill and I trust you to bring back pleasant news. You are hereby dismissed." Gracing them with a beautiful smile, she rose elegantly from the chair and moved out of the knights' chamber.

The knights followed her progress with dejected looks.

"Hmm…our situation keeps on getting worse. Impa what should we do?" Auru asked.

Impa leaned back in her chair and gazed at the ceiling. She seemed to be enraptured by an ornate chandelier.

"We do as our Princess instructed" the female knight finally replied.

"Her orders are rather strange, why does she not want any of us to help Master Sora?" quizzed Sheikha "Surely it will not take the entirety of the Master Knights to search for Vanitas."

"Yeah, it's like she's afraid we're gonna mess up her mission yeah!" added a worked up Ashei.

"Perhaps she doesn't trust us after we failed to help Roxas and Ventus?" mused Aqua "If you put it that way, it definitely makes sense…"

The second in command merely watched as the din of voices grew steadily louder, most of the knights argued about how princess Zelda was being unreasonable, Link, it seems, is the only one who defended her decision. His blue eyes flitted from one knight to the other searing them with an intense beast-like gaze.

"Princess Zelda is the embodiment of wisdom" he declared "she is fully aware of her actions and thus we should respect her decisions even if they appear to be irrational, she is the only one who knows what's wrong with prince Sora and she most likely thinks it is a delicate matter only she can handle. Let's give our best in searching for Vanitas instead."

Every member in the room was stunned by Link's eloquence, who knew a goat herd could speak so decoratively?

"Are you in love with Zelda yeah?" teased Ashei "wait till Sora hears about this…"

Taken aback by the spunky knight's strange accusation Link staggered backwards, his face began to resemble a tomato.

"Wha- n-No. Of course not!" he exclaimed "I simply respect her! Geez"

Frowning, the tenth ranked knight stalked to his seat and slumped down, fanning himself.

"Since we are a large group, I request Link to be my vice-captain." Impa ordered "every one, please make your way to Hyrule field in Faron province, I'll be joining you shortly. Move out"

* * *

Zelda sat on her bed and peered at nothing. Massaging her temples thoughtfully, she almost jumped out of her skin when the door creaked open and in walked Impa. The lady's startled expression did not miss the sharp warrior's attention.

"Your highness, you are extremely uneasy, I can tell. Please share your problems with me."

"…I feel foolish to embark on this mission alone Impa" she softly stated "after all, I do not even know myself…also I'm afraid I will find myself unconscious in some foreign world, since I seem to be suffering from a strange condition."

"Did Master Sora tell you about it?" the knight's visage turned tender. "He was put under a curse and it ultimately affected you"

"He explained it to me briefly, something about Xehanort 'disabling' me. I think I understand what he meant." Taking a deep breath Zelda continued "but I have to take the risk, this is the longest time I have been conscious so far. I suppose if Sora is not fully in control of himself the curse loses its hold? I do hope I find answers…"

Saying this, the princess got up and took out a thick cloak out of the closet. After wearing it she secured the wrapped arrow with her and stood before a mirror fragment whilst chanting an incantation. The archaic symbols etched on to the mirror shard seemed to project outwards like a hologram, forming a lighted pathway. A sense of despair filled Impa as she observed Zelda walk through the portal in all her regal glory. Contrary to her usual habit, the Hylian princess did not even bid farewell to the second knight.

"Have a safe trip princess" muttered Impa as she left the room.

* * *

Half an hour later a dozing Link woke up to the sound of Impa issuing orders. Rousing himself, he alighted next to her and felt a little bit proud of himself. Of all the knights their appointed leader could choose for a second in command, she chose him. He resolved to do his best and follow orders.

"Any idea where we should search?" sighed Zack "I mean, should we split up a-"

"We stay together" Impa replied sharply "you heard the princess…Link where should we search?"

Slightly vexed at how the attention spotlight focused on him, he hesitantly responded:

"I believe a thorough search of Hyrule field might yield some results…" he trailed off as the members stared at him.

"And what will trekking through grass do yeah?" quipped Ashei "I vote we start at Arbiter's grounds yeah, seems like a place the stuck up brat would wanna hang out in"

"Fine" the second knight droned "although, in keeping with Link's suggestion, we should traverse the fields to get there, this way we will not overlook anything. Let's move out"

A war-cry followed her statement as the knights took up arms and set off for duty.


	28. Chapter 27: A clear conscious

A/N: Much Thanks to Infernalfox for alerting my story (POWER!) Also, did anyone see that coming huh, huh?...Okay, I admit it was pretty obvious Vanitas was going to defect…I'll try harder to make things more sneaky the next time. (Suspense…why you so difficult to write?) Anyway, please read and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor Legend of Zelda. Sadly my own works do not invoke my tears unlike some games I'm really fond of.

* * *

Chapter 27: A clear conscious

Landing with an undignified thump on the grass, she stared at the building. A cylindrical tower loomed before her; the structure had additional spires jutting out from the main body at various angles. In twilight, the turrets was bathed in a sickly golden color and the moon and star decorations on the tiled roof glowed cyan. Getting up, Zelda brushed her cloak free of dust and pulled back her hood, thereafter she ascended the steps and proceeded to knock on the door.

The door silently swung open before her knuckles rapped on the wooden surface.

Walking in, she came face to face with an anthropomorphic dog, who for some reason was expecting her. Pointing her to another flight of steps, he imparted a wide goofy grin and vanished.

Later on she would learn his name: Goofy.

Climbing the steps, the princess alighted into a room and observed a wizard stroking his beard. His eyes were closed as if in deep thought. Taking care not to disturb his concentration, she walked lightly and stood before a table separating them from each other. After some time, the aged man spoke:

"Welcome to the Mysterious Tower princess Zelda, what brings you here? And please, take a seat."

Zelda gratefully sat down. Folding her hands in her lap she began to retell the events forcing her to undertake this journey. She carefully described Sora's condition, how he was stabbed by Ganondorf and the way the swirling vortex in his chest spewed never ending monsters, a glimmer of hope alighted in her chest as Yen Sid opened his eyes and thoughtfully looked at her.

"Were you there when all this happened?" he queried

"No sir, I was in the throne room" she replied.

"What were you doing in the throne room?"

The lady remained mute for she could not answer the question. What was she doing in the throne room? She did not know that herself.

"We are well aware of the curse bestowed on Sora and the effect it has on you Princess of Hyrule." The key-blade master said "therefore do not think badly of me for my actions."

The aristocrat was a bit confused.

"Donald, Goofy" he called and they instantly appeared in the circular chamber "cuff the Lady's hands and escort her to Disney Castle, ask King Mickey to gather everyone there for an emergency council." Yen Sid's sonorous voice commanded.

She watched confoundedly as the humanoid dog and duck started tying her wrists with a silvery chain, they handled her delicately as if she were a porcelain doll, nevertheless, their constant argument while doing the job was giving her a headache.

'Why are they doing this?'

"Why am I being chained?" she uttered tersely.

Goofy was so startled by her question he stuttered something incomprehensible and resumed his task. Donald merely glared at him and explained she was a criminal.

"How?" she snapped. Now Zelda was slightly irritated.

"You will be enlightened once we reach Disney Castle, for now please be patient princess." The master's voice echoed.

The triforce bearer's shoulders slumped in defeat and her resolve flickered. She briefly wondered if she had made a mistake venturing off into unknown lands all alone. She gazed at the birthmark on her hand and willed it to glow, alas no such thing happened. Her powers of reasoning were waning and for the first time in many years, instead of the usual cold dread she was used to feeling, she felt fear. Fear, it choked her and constricted her chest. Limply rising from the chair, Goofy and Donald boarded her on both sides and marched her out of the tower.

Far away in another world different to Mysterious tower, a vegetative figure floated in a crystal pod half filled with darkness, the sages guarding him failed to notice the way his pupils shrank nor did they hear the mournful sigh escaping his lips.

* * *

Roxas did not like the way Ventus veered towards him, discreetly shifting towards the side, the elder twin found himself bumping against Auru. Stiffly apologizing, he turned his attention to his brother and demanded Ventus leave him alone.

"But we need to stick together in times of distress, it's what big brother Sora always s-ack" Ven was so preoccupied with lecturing Roxas he failed to see his step and thus tripped over a medium sized rock and fell face first in the gravel. His blunder caused his elder sibling to scowl impatiently and offer a hesitant helping hand. Before Ven could grab the proffered arm, Link materialized next to him, picked him up and dusted his clothes off in an instant.

"Careful next time Ven, we don't want you to get hurt." The vice leader intoned.

Sweeping his gaze across the band, he was acutely aware of the way Aqua beheld him with admiration, feeling his cheeks grow hot; he marched off before Zack noticed anything and opened his mouth to tease.

The knights resumed formation and trooped forward, occasionally scouting the area for signs of monsters or the third ranked Master Knight.

"Where could he be?" murmured Impa to herself "also, I hope the princess is doing well on her quest."

One hour later, a panting team of knights flopped tiredly down on the grass.

"We were supposed go to the Gerudo desert...how in the goddesses name did we end up in Upper Eldin yeah?!" Ashei bellowed.

"The knights go where the wind takes th-" started Zack.

"Shut it Fair, I'm not in the mood yeah!"

"Hmm…calm down Ashei, Zack…and we got trouble." Auru slowly got up and hefted his canon.

At the sight of seven shadow beasts, Links breathing increased as his pupils dilated. Smoothly sliding his sword out, he charged in before anyone else got up. Plunging his blade in one of their face (things) he watched in elation as it disappeared in a stream of shadows.

"Oi Link, take a break will you, the rest of us also want to help." Zack complained and joined in the fray.

The Hylian gritted his teeth and stepped down, feeling a hand on his shoulder, he rotated to see his appointed leader also standing by and doing nothing.

After several cannon blasts, magic commands and countless other melee attacks, the knights regrouped to re-discuss tactics. In the ensuing discussion, Roxas shrugged off Ven who was steadily inching closer to him.

"For the last time Ven" hissed the noble "stay away from me"

"But why?" whined the younger twin "first you yell at me for keeping away from you and now you want me to stay away from you."

"…Because I don't want to hurt you" came the curt reply.

"Actually, you don't burn me anymore Roxas" grinned Ven widely "so we can go back to sticking together."

….What

 _What?_

"You couldn't tell me this earlier?" the boy shushed "like seriously Ven?" Roxas' form towered over his cowering twin.

"What are those brats up to now yeah? These people are nothing but woe wherever they go" the sixth knight glanced at the quarreling duo and exhaled in an irritated manner.

"Leave them be, they are probably sorting their differences out" Aqua added "meanwhile, why can't we have Link turn into a wolf and try to track Vanitas by scent?"

The rest of the members gaped at her save for Impa and Sheikha

"Genius thinking" muttered the ninja.

And they all shifted their gaze to a surprised Link

* * *

Riku was not happy with the way the Princess of Hyrule was seated; her hands were bound and laid on the table for everyone to see. He picked up King Mickey's unease by the way his ears twitched nervously. To be fair, the beautiful woman's face remained impassive and her head was held high. The silver haired male did not know whether he should feel pity or awe.

He decided to settle for being awed.

As soon as members summoned to council were seated, the discussion started. King Mickey stood on his throne and said:

"First of all we apologize for treating in this manner princess" he shifted his gaze nervously "well…how do I say this…some of us here are convinced you played a part in reducing Sora in his current state" Zelda's eyes widened at this accusation "pardon us princess, due to your rather unique condition, this fact is entire plausible…therefore we're taking extra precaution."

"Do you have any weapons on you, your highness?" Yen Sid directed his query to Zelda.

"Master Yen Sid…your questioning is a bit too harsh" commented a flustered Minnie

There was a short silence before the princess answered:

"Yes, the ancient arrow of light. It is an ancestral weapon capable of driving away even the most sinister darkness. Right now it is devoid of light, I was hoping I could find help in restoring it so Sora can be saved. Instead I'm sitting bound and being suspected of criminal activity"

Her words echoed throughout the hall and resonated in Riku's head, if a weapon of immense power is needed to drive out the darkness residing in Sora…things were really serious.

Queen Minnie sent a brief glare at Mickey's direction and another person, who so far had remained quiet (or was fast asleep), spoke:

"Princess, I understand your frustration but try to see things from our point of view as well. Sora often comes here for work and he explained to us that most of the time you were in a blissfully comatose state. We cannot rule out the possibility of you being controlled at any given time."

Her head drooped, however the brown haired male relentlessly continued.

"And if I may ask, was it always easy to infiltrate Hyrule castle? If I remember Ganondorf easily got in twice and a possessed Sora almost killed you…" he trailed off as the princess' form became rigid.

"Leonhart, your words could have been kinder" Minnie retorted.

"No my Queen, he speaks the truth…I was never aware of my actions while under the spell. And it was just recently I found out I was actually married to Sora…whatever judgment I must receive please put aside for now. He needs immediate help or else he will drown in the darkness pouring out of his chest."

Seeing the dejected look on Zelda's face and realizing his friend is on the brink of death jolted Riku to stand up abruptly from his chair, gluing his aquamarine colored eyes on King Mickey he pled the council to think about Sora and his predicament.

"Or if you guys are too busy trying to sort out if Princess Zelda is a convict or not, I'll go to Hyrule myself" he forcefully declared. "It's obvious to everyone where our priority lies." He sat back down and took a deep breath.

"I agree with Riku, Master Yen Sid" Mickey uttered "when Sora wakes up, we can ask him to confirm Zelda's story."

There were murmurs of agreement around the table.

The King summoned his key-blade and used a burst of magic to break the chains binding the princess' wrists. After dispelling the weapon, Zelda rose from her seat and bowed to the members, thanking them for aiding her, thereafter she pulled the wrapped arrow from her person and proceeded to unwrap it and place it in the middle of the table.

"The arrow should be filled with light magic, however, in my current state I'm unable to do it alone." She voiced her dilemma bitterly.

"No worries" Mickey beamed "we will fill it up for you"

* * *

Vanitas glowered at the huge boulder blocking the entrance to the hidden village.

"Don't simply stand there and glare at it boy, smash the boulder already!" Ganondorf's vocals bounced off the grotto's walls.

"If you are in such a hurry, why don't _you_ do it?" challenged Vanitas his irises glinting maliciously in the dark space.

"Xehanort decreed we work together for the time being, as soon as we ravage this place, we are free to go our separate ways"

"You can leave already, your useless presence is suffocating me" the brunette snidely remarked and focused his attention on the obstruction. Summoning Void-gear, he blasted a dark firaga and smashed the rock into smithereens. Smirking victoriously, he stepped into the Hidden village and almost instantly both he and the holder of the triforce of power were surrounded by a dozen or so masked warriors. They all pointed several sharp edged weapons and blades at the two offenders.

"Leave this area immediately, you have no business with our kind" a masculine tone threatened as he pressed his short sword closer to the exposed skin on Vanitas' neck.

Instead of being intimidated, the former third knight merely laughed, his chuckles growing in intensity.

"Leave?" he rasped "That…is not happening"

Teleporting out of the circle, he appeared behind the combatant who threatened him and struck him across the back, carving a deep gorge, seeing this, the rest of the warriors wisely scattered, alas, they were all hunted down by the duo and either incapacitated or killed, the village, which remained eerily quiet since it's infiltration now erupted into a chaotic cacophony. Bells were rung, the cries of children burst out of homes and sounds of battle cut through the air. Ganondorf noticed the triangle on the back of his hand was glowing, decapitating someone's head; he whirled around and thrust his sword into the ground. The floor became a sinkhole and out of it a volley of mixed monsters burst forth and joined in the destruction of the peaceful hamlet.

"Vanitas" growled Ganondorf "I'm taking my leave, be sure to complete the task" saying those words, he vanished.

The noble in question stood aside and yawned while the community before him crumbled. Bokoblins and bulbins smashed houses and windows, fire keese and red nocturnes spewed fire and moldroms scared any sane villagers away from this place. Basking in the glorious annihilation, the key-blader failed to notice an old woman hobbling his way, once she got closer to him, she hefted her walking cane and whacked the unsuspecting Vanitas hard on his head. The adolescent spun towards her angrily.

"What's the big deal you old hag?" he spat.

The woman gripped her stick and hit him for a second time.

"YOUNG MAN!" she thundered "didn't your parents teach you any manners? And what is the meaning of this?" she swept her hand across the monster infested village "Go back to where you came from before I give you a good whipping!"

Clutching Void-gear, its wielder was at loss for words, he watched the woman shake her head and shuffle away from him whilst muttering something under her breath, reaching her house situated at the very end of the village she entered it and shut the door.

Vanitas remained speechless.

On Ganondorf's side, he had appeared at the worst time possible; Link had recently transformed himself into a sacred beast, but on spying his nemesis, common sense abandoned him as he practically flew over to the dark skinned man. Midway, he was forcibly steered off-course as a blizagga hit his side and sent him tumbling through the grass.

"Focus Link" chorused the knights.

Right…Focus.

Impa drew her gigantic blade in a fluid motion, she was flanked by Zack with his Buster sword and a stream of shadows behind Ganondorf condensed into Sheikha wielding a ninja star. The rest of the members spread out and formed a loose ring around him. Ventus' and Roxas' eyes were both smoldering with rage, one boy held Wayward wind in his signature reverse grip style and the other sported only one key-blade, nevertheless his two handed grip on the thing was strong. Ashei and Auru both aimed a bow and cannon and a chilled breeze began to blow across the fields of Hyrule, Aqua's key-blade was glowing. Finally Ganondorf visible stiffened as they all heard an ominous growl coming from Link, he dragged his sword on the ground, carving a trail in the dust.

Ganondorf should not feel fear, yet why was his heart hammering in his chest?

"Be gone from here" Impa droned "do not forget, _we_ were the ones who put down a _Xehanort possessed_ Sora…Do. Not. Underestimate us."

In his peripheral vision the Gerudo chief saw a blade inching closer to his head, before he was impaled, he wisely retreated.

An enraged scream scattered in the winds.


	29. Chapter 28: Bonds that tie

A/N: Heartfelt gratitude to AFredToThePast9 for favoriting and alerting my story :) (POWER!) On a different note...things are getting rather weird in this story and I hope it does not deter anyone of you from reading it. Its not like everyone has Xehanort brains, old man can come up with one plot after the other...I should probs nickname Plotanort...some of his ridiculous plans makes for some killer stories.

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda nor Plotanort's brainchild: Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Chapter 28: Bonds that tie

In the castle that never was, Vanitas sat on a luxurious couch and listened to the simple yet haunting melody playing within the castle. At the other end of the grey room, Master Xehanort was cackling and wriggling his fingers in a disturbing manner. The dark haired adolescent knew without a shadow of doubt, his teacher was brewing another plot and by the looks of it, it fit his twisted levels of complexity.

When will the senile old man's brains start to degenerate? He often wondered.

More surprisingly…

Ganondorf was playing the piano. How did a brute like him learn to play an instrument often associated with finesse and elegance? It just seemed so…wrong. Although, here the Gerudo chief was, rhythmically swaying to the rather wonderful tune concocted by his fingers and there was something else. A choking presence. Vanitas brushed it off as the nervousness of meeting his former master, it is a miracle Xehanort did not punish him for the time the brunette brutally tried to whack him out of Sora's body. He hoped the old master had the good grace to forget about the incident.

"Vanitas!" cracked Xehanort.

The noble in question deliberately took his own time before replying lazily.

"What?"

"I have another duty for you boy, I'm sure it will be to your liking"

In response, the adolescent sank lower; he was in no mood to be ordered around by anyone. However, he relented; the choking feeling was steadily getting worse.

"What do you want me to do?" he droned.

Xehanort cackled evilly before he relayed his mission. Almost instantaneously the melody stopped playing and an enraged Ganondorf bashed the instrument into pieces.

"That was supposed to be MY WORK!" he growled "do you think this brat has a chance of taking someone like her down?"

"Why of course" Vanitas confidently smirked "to be honest, I've been looking forward to kill Zelda" his pupils dilated "just imagine the pain and rage Sora would feel once he found out the person he was working so hard for simply went and died on him, his expression will be priceless" the second born's eyes were disturbingly wide and he howled in laughter while the older members of the castle watched on. Ganondorf's face was somewhere between pity and admiration whilst the bald Xehanort sported a mien of satisfaction.

Once the wielder of Void gear's chuckles died down, he lay back on the sofa.

"Weren't you going to eliminate someone?" The Gerudo chief enquired, having nothing to do, he leaned against a pillar and stared outside the windows, the scenery consisted of a fog of darkness.

"I'll go when I feel like it" Vanitas snapped "unlike you, I'm devising a plan to finish her once and for all, since you failed the job who knows how many times"

Imparting his sarcastic answer, the noble turned over and made himself comfortable.

* * *

The council in Disney Castle stared at the ancient arrow of light placed in the middle of the table. Solemnly the group around the table stood up as one and began summoning weaponries. Key-blades, a gun-blade, a sword, a shield and magic staff were all included. Zelda watched in awe as the individual weapons began to glow, each in their signature light, unanimously, they all pointed to the arrow in the middle and in one decisive burst let loose all the energy contained in their arsenal. The arrow sucked it all in, like a black hole and as the commotion faded away; the members were rewarded by an ethereal sight.

A spiraling arrow pulsing with subtle golden light, the little figures etched on the surface danced before their eyes.

"Gawsh" sputtered Goofy "I must say, this is one beautiful arrow"

"Yes it is" the princess breathed softly, her eyes were glued to its radiance. Gingerly taking the arrow, she re-wrapped it in its cloth covering and stowed it away.

"I must thank you all for aiding me" she paused before continuing "when Sora is well again, I will implore him to visit you and put all your worries to rest." Thereafter she performed a bow and the meeting broke up with everyone going off to their respective worlds. However, before Zelda could step out of the castle, Riku stopped her.

"Princess, please come with me to Destiny Islands" he requested "Sora's parents have the right to know what's going on"

Once again, anxiety welled up in her chest; nevertheless she wiped her face free from worry and proceeded to follow Riku through the dark corridor.

The princess of Hyrule stared at the humble abode in front of her. It was constructed out of wood.

Wood, as in the stuff settlers used for building log cabins, come to think of it, this little house also felt like a cozy log cabin.

"Are you sure this is Sora's place? I mean he is…"

'a noble right?' questioned the voice in her head.

The silver haired male smiled. "Yes, we grew up together" he knocked on the door and it was answered by a smiling woman with black hair and the same blue eyes Sora had, without further thought, the princess stepped into the house and found herself being seated on a comfortable chair, a quick peek around the room showed that this was indeed where Sora and his siblings hailed from. Pictures of the four boys were proudly displayed at on the pastel colored walls and as Zelda forced herself to meet at her in-laws she was not surprised to see the father sporting a dumbfounded look.

"My son…my son is married to you…" Father spoke like a zombie, he scratched his unruly brown hair and his golden tinted irises were clouded with confusion.

"How? How on earth did he score himself a princess? He doesn't even realize when a girl flirts with him" he muttered.

"Please forgive my husband, he is a bit shocked, after all, Sora never told us he…" the lady trailed off and smiled apologetically.

All of a sudden, the bearer of triforce felt cold. What if Sora wanted to keep their nuptial a secret, were they not invited to the wedding? Inaudibly sighing, she briefly glanced at Riku who explained the circumstances surrounding their marriage. The little talk managed to soothe the parents and they regarded at Zelda with warmth.

It was a queer sensation, no one ever saw her with such care in their eyes, her own parents had passed away while she was young so she did not have the privilege of being coddled.

Hesitantly and after a few prompts from Riku, she narrated what had happened to the first knight. The princess poured everything out, his curse, her lack of control over herself, his possession and her mutilation and finally how he ended up in the semi-comatose state. Like Ventus, the mother quietly began to cry and Zelda, for her part found her chest aching.

Sora had a wonderful family, why did he leave this peaceful place and entangle himself in other world's problems?

"I'm sorry" she apologized "Thank you for listening to me, but I should take my leave" the princess stood up.

"Wait, can't you stay for a whi-" began Sora's mother but Zelda cut her off.

"I appreciate the thought, I would love to stay, however, I am pressed for time."

"…I see, then please, next time pay us a visit with Sora" both parents beamed at her as she left.

Outside, both the princess and Riku were surprised to see Impa. The second ranked knight knelt before the princess and explained she had come because worry gnawed at her mind.

"We still haven't found Vanitas, instead, we ran into Ganondorf. Thankfully he departed without incident." Impa relayed "Have you managed to fulfill your task princess?"

Zelda's expression, which was wistful, turned somber.

"Yes. I have been aided in my task. Now all we have to do is wake Sora." Spoke the princess.

* * *

A few hours had passed since Vanitas had lain on the couch, he woke up to see Master Xehanort's back towards him. Ganondorf was nowhere to be seen.

"So, the princess, where is she?" he queried and indolently stretched

"I don't keep tabs on everyone brat, she is probably at Hyrule castle, go and find out and do your work" his tutor quipped "kids these days don't appreciate all the…" began the elder and Vanitas took it as his cue to ignore him.

Summoning Void-gear, the wielder tested its weight. Gripping the handle firmly, he got up and rocketed towards Xehanort standing on the far end, raising the blade, he cloaked it with darkness and brought it down with all the strength he could muster, after he confirmed the key-blade sliced through something, he jumped back and observed cautiously.

The look of utter outrage on Xehanort actually scared the brunette a little.

Although…Sora was scarier.

Unable to articulate due to sheer anger, the old man merely summoned his own blade, a double shafted, wicked thing. Just its presence was menacing.

It took Master Xehanort thirty seconds to reduce Vanitas into a bleeding, cracked mess on the ground. During that time the former third rank could only _try_ defending against the onslaught of blows and magic and not even that could save him from the ultimate result. The holder of the triforce of power had arrived the moment the knight crumpled to the floor.

"Did you honestly think you could defeat me with those pathetic skills of yours?"

"It was worth a try old man" the adolescent grinned, showing a mouthful of teeth "at least I managed to cripple you. Heh, I'm proud of myself."

Xehanort's boot dug into Vanitas' head, dispelling his weapon, the old man gingerly touched his amputated stump. The upstart had cleanly cut his arm off during their battle. He briefly considered killing the brat, unfortunately, out of all the candidates Xehanort had for his new vessel, this noble fit the criteria the best. Now that his body had been disfigured, it was prime time to switch bodies.

Or so he thought. He did not like the way Vanitas smirked at him. A snigger full of confidence.

'Well, time to tame the beast I suppose' Xehanort's irises glinted with spite.

"Ganondorf, put this boy in a prison and set it up in a place where we can both guard him" the old master commanded.

The Gerudo gaped.

"You need _both_ of us to guard this runt?" he incredulously questioned "is he special?"

"Not really, do as I say you power hungry fool" saying this, the key-blader hobbled away to tend to his bleeding arm.

If there was one thing the boy and his master had in common, it was the way they brutally insulted people and ordered them around. Ganondorf wondered if he should ask Vanitas some tips on how to offend others fashionably.

Walking to where the dark haired noble lay, the Gerudo chief grunted in disgust and squatted down to roughly pick the battered body up. As soon as he did so, Vanitas gasped and thrashed desperately, screeching and clawing at his own neck and chest. Taking deep breaths, he managed to break from Ganondorf's hold and stagger over to a sofa where he promptly slumped over.

A closer inspection revealed he had fainted, his mouth foaming in the process.

* * *

 _It was twilight; the sun dipped beneath the ocean and bathed the world in an orange hue. On the shore sat a lone figure, a young boy with unruly black hair and gold irises. His gaze bored into the sun as if waiting for something, or someone. Behind him, his shadow stretched, elongating as time passed, fat tears rolled down his cheeks and dropped into the sand. One by one, one by one, the drops disappeared into the ground leaving no trace. Getting up, he wiped his face irritably and sighed. Thereafter he turned around and observed an aged man smiling behind him. Normally he ignored the man and went straight home because his mother stood on the porch and watched him, but today, his mother was not there. Casting a wary glance at the direction of his house he asked the man:_

" _Who are you?"_

" _My name is not important young one, rather, you seem to be in deep pain"_

"…"

" _If you don't want to tell me, it is fine, I'm merely here because the sunsets here are the best in all other worlds."_

' _Other worlds…other worlds' the words rang in Vanitas' head_

" _You have been to other universes?"_

" _Yes" the elder replied "I've seen many things. Including the person you are searching for"_

 _The normally detached boy gasped_

" _Take me to him. Please, he is my older brother, he promised to come fetch me!" the brunette wailed miserably, unbeknownst to him, his shadow began contorting and his hands were exuding wisps of darkness._

" _Sorry child, I cannot, not unless you can summon a key-blade and there is the issue of your parents."_

 _Hearing this, the surprised Vanitas' visage morphed into one of anxiety. Holding out one hand in front of him, he managed to perfectly materialize a key-blade, although it was wrapped in what appeared to be shadows._

" _Big brother, Mom and Dad says I shouldn't do this" he explained bitterly "but…but I'm strong" he raised his face eagerly and failed to note the malicious grin on the old man's face._

" _Ah yes, you are strong, with a little more training, you will be able to seek your brother out on your own. Won't you like that Vanitas?"_

" _Yes!" all vestiges of his earlier sadness had been replaced by elation._

 _A dark portal opened up before the duo._

" _Then come, I'll teach you everything you need to know" rasped the key-blader._

* * *

"Is it me or are does he look a bit chirpier?" Ashei quizzed to the general annoyance of everyone in the room.

The Master Knights had returned from their failed search for Vanitas. Failed wasn't exactly the word to describe it, more like no one wanted to search for the missing brunette anymore. Not because they thought he did not belong to the knights, the members were simply too weary and stressed to spend their time to search for a knight who did not want to be found.

Roxas and Ventus, they resembled husks of their former selves.

Everyone had congregated in the barrier room to pay their comatose leader a visit, the general gloom was so thick, it affected Link's heightened senses. To cheer forlorn faces up Ashei cracked a joke, alas, the mood in the room soured even further. The Hylian hung out at the edges of the room, he did not want to see his strict superior in such a sad state, the feeling of guilt, he was right at the scene, yet, he couldn't prevent from this disaster from happening. Lost in these depressed thoughts, he did not notice the twins standing in front of him.

"Come home with us Link" Ven pleaded

"Yeah, we could do with some company" Roxas said and then added "it's a bit lonely at home."

Link pushed himself off the wall and followed the duo.

"…Are you sure this is okay?"

The twins were seated at a lavish dining table…with bowls of ice-cream. Link himself stared at his dish; it too was filled with frozen confectionery. Off to one side, there was a large picture on the wall of Sora.

Wearing a pink, frilly apron.

At that moment, the bearer of courage lost his appetite and all respect for his leader.

"So Master Sora, can he cook?" asked Link as the twins shoveled ice-cream in their mouth with frightening speeds.

"mphf…Yeah" Roxas swallowed.

"But…the taste…not so good" Ventus licked his bowl clean.

"I don't care though, right now, I'd do anything to eat his horrible cooking"

"Yes…and I'm sure Vanitas will return he probably is trying to find how to return big brother back to normal" chirped Ven.

A cough alerted the two to Link gagging on his 'food'. The tenth ranked knight stared at the twins with slight disbelief.

'So Vanitas cares about Sora in his own way huh?'

* * *

He was chained and imprisoned into a specially made cage. On lifting his head, he saw the fallen prince of the Gerudo's snickering at him from beyond the bars. Body suit tattered, face and hair stained with blood, sweat and tears and his muscles protested the harsh treatment. He moved his arms, fortunately the chains were quite long, even with his back against the wall, he'd be able to haunch over and rest. Better than standing upright in any case.

He huffed, his breath coming out like steam. What was this feeling?

Like a weight on his chest.

"Hahahahaha" Vanitas guffawed "scared of this brat are you?" he gasped.

Ganondorf came closer to the specially made prison; the triforce on his hand was glowing.

The constricting feeling intensified to epic proportions, Vanitas' eyes began rolling upwards due to pain, instead of fainting, the key-blader forced himself to stay conscious.

He succeeded, if only a little while.

As the prisoner's head lolled to one side the Gerudo chief outside let go of the bars and grinned.

"You were right about the different natures of darkness" he stated to Xehanort.


	30. Chapter 29: Divine darkness

A/N: Virtual pizza and a big thank you to grimlock987 for following and favorite-ing my story (POWER!). And without further ado, I present to you another chapter. Please read and review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Do I look like someone who owns LOZ and KH? No? Good, you guys are geniuses.

* * *

Chapter 29: Divine darkness

The bed was way too comfy.

Link burrowed deep within the covers and tried to shut the noise out, alas, the twin nobles were not being considerate of his feelings.

"Wake up you useless lump!" Roxas scathed "if I knew you loved sleeping this much…I'd never invite you in the first place!"

"Roxas don't be mean" placated the younger twin, summoning Wayward wind, he flung the aero coated key-blade at Link who shot up from the bed and caught the weapon, as the Hylian studied the short blade, it disappeared in a flash of light.

"Time for breakfast" chorused the duo with wide mischievous grins as they bolted towards the kitchen.

"You know, eating ice-cream for meals isn't really healthy Roxas…and Ven, _wha_ t are you doing?"

The kitchen looked like a disaster, it was clear Ven had no experience in cooking… who ignites the stove with a Firaga? As for Roxas, the boy was gulping pale blue ice-cream like his life depended on it.

"Um, the stove is on fire" the younger twin pointed to the raging fire before him, the heat scorched his face. Sighing, Link put the fire out and turned only to see the Ven doing something stupid again.

"How about I cook you guys breakfast, will that be alright?"

The two boys looked up from their respective actions.

A tense silence settled over them.

And it continued.

A moment later.

Finally.

"YES!" they shouted and Link beamed.

The young nobles eagerly wolfed down the meal Link placed before them. Despite the circumstances, seeing the duo eat so heartily melted some of the anxiety in his chest. Sitting down he tucked into his food and was just about to put the spoon in his mouth when the mansion's butler walked in and handed a stamped letter to Roxas. He tore open the envelope and read it, blue eyes swinging back and forth the page like a pendulum. Both Link and Ven paused and observed the blonde like a hawk.

"Princess Zelda has urgently summoned the knights, we are to meet in the barrier room as soon as we get the letter…sorry about your breakfast Link, we have to leave now." The boy dismissed the butler and with a somber expression, looked at the other members sitting at the table.

"I think this has to do with big brother Sora" Ventus mused "let's hope everything goes according to plan."

The tenth ranked master knight was a bit relieved to see all his comrades in the barrier room. Most had an air of solemnity about them. He found his eyes invariably drawn to the crystal pod stationed in the middle of the stark white room. The liquid darkness had reached till Sora's chest but the comatose leader's visage remained blank, there was no sign of him being awake, nor any residues of a struggle. The prince simply floated.

At peace.

For some inexplicable reason, Link found himself wondering how it felt to be in such a state, he gingerly placed a hand on the glass covering of the prison and bored into the darkness, suddenly, a hand touched his shoulder and instinctively he whirled around, drew his sword in one smooth motion and pointed the blade at the intruder's throat.

The 'intruder' turned out to be the bewildered form of Aqua.

"…Are you okay Link?" she asked while simultaneously taking two steps backwards "don't go to close to master Sora, the darkness will mess with our emotions and minds."

Returning the sword to its sheath, Link apologized to her and followed her back to where Zack was leaning against the wall, the normally cheerful face was strained with worry, nevertheless, the spiky haired male managed a dazzling smile.

"Now troops, be prepared to have Master Sora bossing you around today" he proclaimed "and also, brace yourselves for long absences from our leader because once he is fully functional again, he'll ditch us to spend time with princess Zelda. I'm betting on a honeym..oo…n" he did not fail to notice how Impa was glaring at him, the white faces of the rest of his teammates were ample warning that the princess of Hyrule had entered the chamber and heard every word uttered by the knight.

The master knights stiffened as one as Zelda passed them with a procession of sages in her wake, once the posse alighted in front of the crystal station, the Hylian princess addressed the team:

"Please place yourselves in a circle around the pod, when it is opened I want Link to take Sora's body out of the prison and hold him form me" she commanded in an leveled tone.

The knights scrambled into position and once the glass cage opened with a hiss, the darkness within seeped out and condensed on the floor in the form of heartless shadows. They were instantaneously demolished with a couple of strikes, magic and a well-aimed cannonball. Link gently took out his leader's body, the thick oozing darkness was re-solidifying into a black mass atop his chest, carrying his limp body, both Zelda and the bearer of courage moved away from the pod and stationed themselves in an area marked by magical symbols and a ring of concentric circles. The princess uncovered the ancient arrow of light and a few gasps were heard. It seems the radiance of the archaic weapon were lost to none. Holding the arrow with trembling hands, Zelda breathed in deeply and plunged it straight into Sora's chest and everything went black.

* * *

Vanitas could not breath.

His chest was bursting.

Lungs on fire.

Drowning.

 **Drowning**

 _Drowning._

With a start his eyes flew open, pupils wide with terror. Rasping and coughing he raised his head to see a smirking Ganondorf beyond his cage.

"Stop that you moron" he whispered, the guttural sounds was hurting his throat. He was pretty sure the current feeling of being choked was induced by Ganondorf but he couldn't explain how or why this happened. Moving his wrists was quite painful, however the bout of unconsciousness had managed to energize him to a remarkable degree. Grinning like a maniac, he called on Void gear and flooded the cell with darkness.

"Tch" The Gerudo chief snorted "the brat is up to something."

"Leave him be" Xehanort retorted "he can't do much in his current condition, besides if he needs punishment, you are good enough."

The veins on Ganondorf's neck and head pulsed with anger. He turned away and remained quiet.

In the gloomy cage Vanitas snapped the chains binding him and inhaled deeply. Scratching his head in a fashion way too similar to Sora he squatted down and brooded.

"Ugh, I can't believe I just did what he does" he self-admonished and scratched the back of his head again.

"Now what to do?" he ruminated "can't simply walk out here because of the old man and his oaf. Getting close to Ganondorf makes me wanna puke…why, he is after all a sentient being of darkness like me. Or is his darkness different, do different stages of darkness even exist?"

He sighed deeply.

'I'm actually thinking for once, I wonder if big brother would be proud of me?'

"Pfft, you never did come to get me did you, you thought I was in a safe cocoon being smothered by mom, dad and the twins…I was alone, lonely and once again I'm alone, will you come get me now brother…please? _Please?_ "

Out of all the siblings, Sora was most afraid of darkness. The first time Vanitas happily summoned a key-blade, the older brunette had reeled with shock. In contrast to Kingdom Key, Void gear was black, menacing and covered in shadows. The boy destroyed the weapon with a burst of light and urgently pleaded with Vanitas never to call upon his blade ever again.

Vanitas was confused, he assumed Sora would be happy.

Instead his brother's body was trembling.

Snapping out of his dark contemplations, the adolescent surveyed his cell. It was remarkably simple and the fact saddened him a little, his mentor skipped out on luxuries like a personal bathroom and a bed. The black fog was beginning to thin out, Vanitas shifted to the front of his prison and struck the bars experimentally, as expected they did not break easily, a crack had appeared on one of the steel columns but in the next moment, the defect was gone.

A self-healing prison, how nice.

He was out of options, any moment, the dark haze would completely vanish and Vanitas will be chained and subjected to Ganondorf's torture. Gathering all of his remaining strength he focused his anger, rage and wrath and the gave them form: blue floods spilled out of his shadows, thereafter a bruiser, several dozen colorful jellyshades, axe flappers, a chrono twister and to his surprise a trinity armor. The process had made him a bit light-headed, getting rid of negative emotions were always good, however, the consequences of having these unversed slain in battle was not good for Vanitas. Consequently, he ended up in more pain and the temptation to get rid of them all.

It was a vicious cycle.

Xehanort was busy fine tuning his plans when something behind him exploded, he spun around to see the prison in pieces and standing amongst a horde of unversed was his pupil, he looked exhausted yet, his face was twisted into an arrogant sneer. Clearly he did not learn his lesson; Vanitas' eyes flickered back and forth between Xehanort's amputated stump and his master's expression and with each passing second, his countenance darkened.

"Ganondorf" hissed Xehanort "kill the br-"

Teleporting behind the old man, Vanitas aimed a back slash that was expertly parried by his teacher; both men's irises were alive with blood-lust. A desperate flurry of blows sent the older male on edge. It seems his student had abandoned all tact and approached like a wild animal – unpredictable. If Xehanort hated anything, it was seeing his plans going awry.

The boy had disappeared from his vision and in his place were those faithful and utterly weak unversed.

After dealing with those pests, Xehanort was about to search for Vanitas, instead, the youth made his presence known, cloaked in a white aura; the boy charged, screaming the phrase "Dark splicer"

The old master paled. He had never taught Vanitas a move with that name.

It was a powerful attack.

Teleportation and speed formed the basis; the helmeted upstart was disappearing and reappearing at an astonishing rate. A moment he was here, the next he was gone. Slowly, the shallow cuts on Xehanort's body started getting deeper, more painful and bloody. He was sure his pupil was getting hit, although his momentum indicated otherwise. Adding to the mayhem was the Trinity armor, it thrashed around the room firing lasers, projectiles and causing general chaos. Xehanort struck his key-blade sideways and it connected with Vanitas' torso, as the noble flew towards the wall, he vanished and resurfaced, marking his manifestation with a deep gash on his teacher's neck.

Blood flowed.

The next time Vanitas swiped his forehead, Xehanort was ready, he launched a dark ball of energy which sent the boy hurtling off into space, flashing in front of him, he attacked the floating figure faster than Vanitas could teleport, a string of slashes tore the boy's body suit, discarding his key-blade, the old master grabbed the helmet and cracked it. Then he held his student's head in a skull splitting vise grip. All this was done in mid-air. The confused army of unversed were still milling about in the room and a stray thunderbolt jolted Ganondorf who was hiding behind a pillar. Feeling his body heat up with fury, the bearer of power unsheathed his Warlock blade, a pure white sword which was in disparity to his dark intentions. Using the weapon, he brutally slashed the unversed into pieces, reveling in Vanitas' pained screams. Once done, he went over to Xehanort and upon seeing the elder's condition, he smirked.

"Well done I'd say"

"Take the brat" Xehanort huffed "I need to tend to my wounds, the cell had repaired itself, throw him back in there and break him. I don't care if he dies"

"Harsh" Ganondorf replied "what about your body?"

"It is none of your concern."

The Gerudo chief watched the old man leave with mild amusement. He looked at the pitiful form of Vanitas and picked him off the floor. As soon as he did so, Vanitas spat up a quantity of blood, his eyes rolled in his sockets and he went limp.

* * *

Zelda watched the screens with fascination.

She was in a black immeasurable area, decorated by countless hovering screens showing snippets of Sora's life. One showed a chubby young boy running after a silver haired male and a young red-headed female. A wide grin stretched across his face. Another showed him carrying a young Vanitas on his shoulders and parading around the beach. There was a scene where he was leaning into a crib and simultaneously poking the cheeks of two blonde babies wrapped in identical blue blankets, he was so engrossed with his new brothers he did not notice Vanitas sulking and hugging his leg.

Sora got older.

He was saying good-bye to a tearful Vanitas and placating him with kind words. He summoned his key-blade and flashed a smile rivaling the sun.

His journey began.

Sora met friends. Goofy, Donald and King Mickey who were essential to his journey, he fought forces of darkness and in the process his own life got dark, the sunny smile did not come so often, he looked tired, sometimes unhappy and most of the time

Lost.

With renewed resolve, he mastered the different drive forms and moved to Hyrule at the tender age of fifteen. Without even meeting the princess, he sought out the most powerful member in the land and challenged the arrogant first knight to a dual. To everyone's amazement, the young noble from the House of Kingdom had won. He was immediately rushed to the throne-room and introduced to the princess. What Zelda saw in him was pure light.

And an unwavering will.

Expertly dealing with family problems, he managed to get his tattered family together in Hyrule. However, his parents moved back to Destiny Islands. The Master Knights were molded into a group people respected, not feared. Standing at the pinnacle, the princess admired how he had grown, he had even managed to find the triforce bearer of courage.

He was worthy and as she thought this, everything came crashing down.

The screens in the space cracked and shattered around her, providing her with fragmentary pieces of his current life. She stepped on a particularly large piece and looked down. Spiked silver hair and golden irises stared back at her. Quickly moving forward, Zelda was shocked as her tiara and other royal ornaments crumbled into gold dust, her dress morphed into a cream colored belted tunic and her hair, always neatly pinned back came tumbling down her face. A sudden change of scenery took place and now she found herself pushing her golden mane back and gaping at a giant creature with a huge heart-shaped gap in its chest. The beats' hair was a mass of black tentacles.

Thank goodness it was chained and situated on the far side of a chasm.

"SOMEONE LET ME OUT!" screeched a voice behind her. Zelda turned around and subconsciously pulled her too short (for her tastes) dress to cover her knees.

"SOMEONE…oh, are you here to let me out?" questioned an eager voice. The owner was a young spiky haired boy, sporting blue eyes, red shorts, way too many zips and belts and ridiculously oversized yellow shoes.

"Sora?" Zelda tentatively asked, the person in question looked like he was a little over eleven.

"Yep, that's m…wait, how do you know my name?" he chirped.

Zelda explained that she was the princess of Hyrule and he was the first knight in charge of protecting the land from dark and evil forces. The confused pout from Sora indicated her explanations, understandably, did not make any sense.

"Well…I get you're really pretty, but you don't look very princess-like to me, I mean where is your crown? Don't you have one?"

* * *

The princess exhaled, this was going to take long.

"I've been stuck here for a long time, I tried all sorts of stuff to break this cage and nothing works" Sora related his story and drew circles in the dirt. "How did you get here miss Zelda?"

"I'm not sure" The aristocrat lied. For now, she deemed it as the best solution.

"Okay, don't worry though" he reassured her "I'll get us both out of here and you can reunite with your prince-charming and live happily ever after."

Zelda choked on air.

"Excuse me? Prince charming?" she found herself warbling.

"Yeah, like Snow white and Belle and Cinderella…didn't you meet yours yet? In that case, I'll find him for you. You are a princess of heart right?" The questions ran off his mouth.

"…"

'He was so different as a child, now he is so stiff, or maybe stiff is the wrong word to describe him.'

"No, I'm a bearer of triforce, I do not have a prince charming…I do not need one. For now, let's think of a way to get out of here" Zelda smoothly changed topics "did you notice the dark creature on the other side?"

She received no response, child Sora had gone mute.

"Sora?"

"Yes…that creature is me" he whispered, the muted words echoing around the cavern.


	31. Chapter 30: Awake and ready for action

A/N: Back with another chapter guys! And heartfelt gratitude to Hieko05 for following and favoriting my story it motivates me to write (POWER). I know I say this a lot, but to us writers it means the world, every time someone follows or favorites the story, I end up posting a new chapter…its food for the soul. Anyway, I'm glad that people like this story, I'm a huge fan of convoluted cross-overs…as is evident by this piece. Please keep on reading and reviews would be nice as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom hearts.

Also, if anyone of you is confused about what is happening, feel free to PM me, I won't bite heads off.

Hey…I'm getting friendlier guys!

* * *

Chapter 30: Awake and ready for action.

A melancholic silence settled between them. Zelda was not really sure how to get the boy to talk. He kept his head down and was etching figures in the dirt. The princess' dress was stained as she too abandoned all dignity and squatted down on the floor.

Not like there were throne-esque chairs in here anyway.

"This is Vanitas" Sora pointed to a short stick figure "and this is Ventus and Roxas…or Roxas and Ventus…" he furrowed his brows "I'm still not sure who is who" he looked up for a brief second and grinned. "Here is mom and dad…and that is Riku and Kairi, they are my best friends"

The princess had seen Riku and she was pretty sure he did not look like the demented stick figure smirking in the dirt.

Anyway.

Zelda peeked at the roaring Darkside, Sora had confessed this pure blood heartless was him, although it made scant sense. She tired prodding him for more answers, however he had clamped up and refused to talk further about it. Rubbing her arms, she looked around the desolate cavern, it was getting cold. Zelda briefly wondered how much time had passed in the outer world, the knights must be getting worried.

"May I ask a question Sora?"

"Hmm, go ahead princess" he replied and folded his hands behind his head.

"Do you plan on being imprisoned here for the rest of your life?" she queried.

"Nope" cue the sunny smile.

"Then why don't you face that monster?"

His face twitched a bit, regaining his composure he easily responded:

"I can't break myself out of this cag-"

"The prison is no problem, the hindrance lies in your reluctance to face your inner darkness…you cannot accept the fact that you, who is lauded as a creature of light harbors darkness of this intensity deep down in your conscious." The princess harshly pointed out. The brunette had stood up and gripped the bars of his cell, an angry look marring his young face.

"What do you know?" he hissed "if Master Yen sid or Mickey ever found out about this…I'll be os..ostra…exiled! They won't see me as a key-blade wielder anymore, I won't be able to go to different worlds and make new friends!"

'Ostracized is the word you're looking for' Zelda mentally corrected him.

"The Key-blade masters always insist on light being the ultimate power, darkness corrupts people, it leads a person astray." He quoted.

"So Vanitas is bad because he uses the powers of darkness?"

The child hung his head. " I don't know…to be honest…I'm scared" he murmured "during my travels, I was acutely aware of my shadow turning into Darkside, I simply ignored it till something happened and I ended up here. I barred myself in order to not face my monster. And now I can't get out."

Feeling extremely sorry for the pitiful form of child Sora, Zelda recalled Xehanort's words:

"Light. Hmpf, all everyone cares about is light; they forget that darkness is equally important. Yes, one may argue that we need a balance, but there is no such balance for darkness, it is always shunned, feared, despised. That is why I made it my life's mission to subdue light and plunge this world and all other realms into darkness."

"You sound like an evil overlord" Sora declared once she finished her speech, the princess cheeks stained red and she tried and failed to keep her expression neutral, the young noble was scanning her with wide eyes and an awestruck look.

"I probably do, it was an evil overlord's words after all, I recited it word for word"

"Wow" Sora breathed "you remember things very well Zelda"

"I suppose" she held up her hand "after all, I am the bearer of wisdom. It is my duty to be intelligent"

Sora deflated.

"Your duty huh…so…so what is my duty?" he asked, solemnity underlining his words.

"Your duty is something you have to figure out on your own." Zelda answered "for now, I could say it is to protect the people who placed their trust in you. Let's make our way out of here, we will do this together."

A determined expression replaced his earlier dejection, materializing Kingdom key he gave a thumbs up and a lopsided grin.

* * *

"I'm getting a little concerned" Auru voiced "How long is this going to continue? I mean they both _feel_ dead"

Impa checked the princess of Hyrule's neck for the umpteenth time, the body was as cold as ice and there was no heartbeat, much less a pulse. Opposite her and cradling the prince was Link, he too did the same and shook his head. To everyone watching, it appeared as if the prince and princess of Hyrule had simultaneously expired.

The ominous sounding chants of the sages surrounding them did not help the mood in the slightest bit.

Shifting herself, Impa accommodated Zelda's prone body more comfortably, she wondered why she stubbornly refused to believe her charge to be dead against all odds. The master knights too, casted anxious glances at their leader for a sign, a soft exhale, flutter of his eyelids, the thrumming of his heart. Anything.

Anything to assure them he was still alive.

A knock on the door reverberated around the stark room. Zack went to receive the messenger and came back citing the person wanted to speak personally to both Impa and Sheikha. He had an urgent message.

Passing on her caretaking duty to Aqua, the second and fifth ranked knight made their way outside the barrier chamber. Crossing her arms, Impa demanded the messenger state his message quickly.

"I'm terribly sorry to impart this news to you Master Impa, but it seems the Hidden village has been destroyed."

The silver haired female's body went so numb; she almost crashed to the floor if it were not for Sheikha holding her up.

"What…what do you mean by destroyed?" Sheikha's voice trembled as she enquired.

"The village was discovered and most of the warriors were slain, the few who survived vacated the hamlet along with the rest of the citizens, the place is a ghost town."

Both Impa and Sheikha stared at the messenger, they did want to believe the words he said. It was as if a reign of misfortune decided to descend upon the Master Knights as they tackled one problem after the other.

"How is she?" Impa formed a vague question, although the messenger understood it perfectly.

"She is safe for now, she stubbornly refuses to leave."

"I see" Impa let out a breath and stood up straight "thank you for notifying us, you may leave."

Once the messenger departed, Impa leaned on a wall and brooded, she avoided Sheikha's questioning gaze.

"Should we go or not?"

"Do you want to be suspended like Link?" Impa spat

"Of course not" Sheikha countered "but it is against Sheikh policy to let outsiders in our village, or have you forgotten that? We cannot ask help from oth-"

"As soon as Master Sora wakes up, we relate our predicament and he will enlighten us on what to do" cutting Sheikha off, Impa shouldered past her and re-entered the room leaving a stone faced knight behind.

When she entered she knew a change had taken place while she was gone. Sora had woken up and was rubbing his eyes in a childish manner, his twin brothers hand fallen into his lap and were hugging his waist and the rest of the knights watched with apparent relief, some even wiped a few stray tears away. Unfortunately the joyous occasion did not last.

Princess Zelda was still dead to the world.

Gently pushing his brothers off, Sora shuffled over to the inert lady and pressed his palm against her forehead, instantaneously she opened her eyes and uttered a sentence:

"Sora, it's not good being so stubborn, we almost died in there."

The first knight began chuckling and laughing, the mirth was contagious as the rest joined in; ear piercing laughter rebounded throughout the room and the knights gaped as their respected leader rolled around on the floor grasping his abdomen and laughing like there was no tomorrow. As the merrymaking died down, he panted and ordered the knights to go home.

"Take a holiday" he commanded from his position on the floor "I think, we all deserve it" he raised his head "Rox, Ven, I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast okay?"

The twins beamed with delight and slinked out the door leaving Sora and Zelda alone in the room.

"Thank you princess" he happily stated "I feel…free. In this case, I should probably drop my noble façade around you, it is tiring and besides, you've seen the worst of me already."

She did not respond.

"Zelda? Are you alright?"

"…No" came the soft reply.

Shooting up, Sora turned his head and observed the princess, apart from being exhausted; she did not show any other signs of slipping back into her comatose state.

"What's wrong? Feeling light-headed again?"

"Have you thought about the future Sora?" she inquired with a somber tone "how will things proceed from now on? I…We…we can't…divorce" she paused and inhaled "unless there is a valid reason and even then, you will most probably be the one to blame and will be duly executed without a trial. If I disclose the fact I was bewitched, the source will undoubtedly be traced to you and the council will execute you without fail. Or if they are feeling a bit lenient, you will be cast out of Hyrule. I…don't know what to do anymore. The most I can do is exempt you from your princely duties…I'm so sorry for this Sora"

He had never seen the princess look this discomposed. _He had never seen the princess cry._

It felt as if something inside him broke. Realizing his fake marriage had just turned into a real one. Or maybe it was real all along and he faked it. He scratched his chin and thought for a way to calm her down.

"For starters, I ended up being a prince so…well…arghhh!" he vigorously scratched his head "We'll just learn to live with it, don't worry. I'm tired and so are you so let's go to sleep. Shove the worries for tomorrow right?" He leaned in and flashed her a smile.

Zelda sniffed and wiped her face.

"Fine, but I want you to go to your home and spend the night there. Your brothers need you, they were suffering the most." She decreed. His joy was visible as the corners of his mouth crinkled with delight. After escorting her back to her bedroom he took the shortest route and leapt out of the bedroom window, trailing a jubilant scream along the way. Zelda merely closed the window with a heavy heart and fell on her bed, neglecting to change her attire; she was fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

It was midnight and the door ominously creaked open.

The wall sized television was still on and before it, on a couch were the twins fast asleep with their heads together. Sora tiptoed and watched them carefully, content seeping in his heart. He duly observed Ventus drooling on Roxas' clothes.

At least things were back to normal.

'Vanitas is probably asleep upstairs…jeez, I hoped he'd take better care of these two' he wondered.

Walking over to the T.V he shut it down and proceeded to carefully pick the two twelve year olds up. However the duo, sensing an intruder in their house, immediately summoned their key-blades and sent Sora flying with a well-aimed aeroga courtesy of Ventus.

"Switch on the lights!" ordered Roxas "we gotta thief in our house"

The illuminated room showed a disgruntled big brother holding his stomach. The twins stood rooted to the spot, mouths agape, before the situation set in and they flew over and tackled him.

"Shhh!" Sora insisted "not so loud, Vanitas will get angry."

"Big brother Vanitas is not home" the two chorused.

Eh?

"Why?"

"He went to the Gerudo desert, to hang around Arbiter's grounds" Ven clarified.

What?

"That's just Ashei's speculations Ven, don't go believing everything you hear" chided Roxas.

"…"

"So, _where_ is Vanitas?" Sora's content morphed into concern

"We don't know"

The brunette sternly peered into their faces to see if the boys were playing pranks or telling a lie, their earnest gazes indicated otherwise.

"Well, wherever he is…I'm sure he is doing fine" he reassured himself and carried the two to bed.

A few hours later:

"Ventus…go to sleep and stop climbing over me"

"Roxas, if you cling onto my leg any tighter, I'll have to amputate it!"

The first knight stared at the familiar ceiling of his bedroom. It was really great to be back home with his family again.

Although he did not count for having to readjust to sleeping with two pre-teens who made sleep impossible.

Hugging the two, he slowly drifted off.

* * *

Pulling the chains did not work, it simply drained his energy. Ganondorf, true to his word (and sadistic nature) took great pleasure in seeing the proud Vanitas reduced to such a state. The adolescent sat hunched over. Exertion in the form of sweat was visible as a sheen on his face and barely covered chest. His breathing was so ragged and loud, even Xehanort (whom the fallen chief suspected as deaf) could hear it on the other side of the room.

The dark haired knight's eyes were constantly rolling around in their sockets. And he bit his tongue on one occasion to prevent him from passing out.

"How are you feeling brat?"

"Great," Vanitas jeered "why don't you come over here so I can kill you?" He raised his head and licked his lips.

A crooked smile was the only response Vanitas got.


	32. Chapter 31: Dreadful discoveries

A/N: Back with another chapter people and by the way, who else loved the little ditty playing in the hidden village? It was radical! On a different note, while I was busy getting rid of those bulbins, I found a howling stone and turned Link into a wolf in order to learn the song, only for him to turn back into a human and redo that annoying sniping mission! Good lord, and I only had like five Bulbins to get rid of!

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda nor KH. I own only this convoluted story.

* * *

Chapter 31: Dreadful discoveries

So much for vacation, Link thought as he entered the Knights chamber the following day. Stifling a yawn, he observed the first and second knight deep in a whispered conversation, whilst Sheikha stared at nothing; the twins were sitting like a pair of blank faced dolls. There was no one else in the room. Discretely taking his seat, the Hylian saw Impa's face twisted into an expression of dismay.

Half an hour later, the rest of the knights filed in the empty room, some of them unhappy with the development. Ashei and Zack could be heard grumbling something under their breath as they unceremoniously plopped down in their respective thrones.

"Weren't we supposed to get a holiday yeah?" snapped Ashei before Sora opened his mouth.

Their leader met her accusing gaze with a tired one.

"Sorry for the abrupt call and all the trouble. Impa's village has been destroyed. Don't you want to help a fellow knight in need?" he asked.

The normally reserved Sheikha hissed.

Ashei's spunk melted as she leaned back in her chair.

"We're just tired yeah" she mumbled "a lot has happened during the past weeks."

Right, it has.

"How is the princess sir?" Auru politely probed

"She is doing fine" the key-blader smiled "better than in the past at least" he muttered to himself.

"Alright. First, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for helping me to get back on my feet. Secondly we have two problems on our hands: One – third ranked knight, Vanitas is missing and he still hasn't showed up after a search. Two – Impa's village has been massacred, the people have fled the hamlet and it is up to us knights to find out what really transpired. According to a messenger, the place is devoid of people. I deem our second knight's problem to be more serious as Vanitas can take care of himself. Therefore Impa and I, Sheikha, Link, Zack and Shad will go investigate." Sora declared.

Zack piped up: "Shad? He's not part of us anymore, so why?"

"He wanted to go to the Hidden village a long time ago. Says there is some legends he needed to investigate. Speaking of which, do you still have the Dominion Rod Link?"

The green-clad hero jolted in his seat and hurriedly replied in affirmative. Securing his hat on his head, Link sat up straighter and resolved to not fall asleep. The rest of the discussions went by without a hitch. Several knights voiced their concern about Sora leading an expedition when he had just recovered from something major. The leader merely smiled and waved their worries away. Exhaustion gave way to a buzzing excitement as Link found himself looking forward to the day's mission. It has been long since the knights were this functional and there was the added anticipation of the noble leading the assignment himself.

Link thirsted for a battle; he wanted to see Master Sora's skills up close and personal again.

One by one, the knights rose and left the hall. Only those selected to accompany Sora remained. For his part, the first knight tapped the translucent glass with a fore finger and the incessant tapping was making the occupants in the room a little anxious.

Has their commander short circuited? He was in a comatose state for quite some time.

"Master Sora? Any reason why we are still waiting?" Impa queried.

The tapping stopped and he curled his hand into a fist.

"I'm worried…about Vanitas" he replied solemnly "and I was thinking…we should do our duty"

"Duty?"

"Link and I, the duty of the chosen ones. To get rid of evil. To get rid of our respective darkness…well enough about that" he got up from the chair "we need to make way to the village already. Let's leave, it's been a long time since I was out in the field" the corners of his mouth twitched into a grin.

A knot formed in Link's chest.

* * *

Zelda stared at the papers covering her enormous desk.

There was a mountain of them.

And they were all complaints.

Tentatively reaching out, she took a document and quickly scanned it.

Then she took another one.

And another one.

'No water in the central fountain. It has been suspected the Zora queen was murdered. Tenth ranked knight absent from duties due to his brash behavior and neglecting of orders. Goron Patriarch corrupted by power. First born son from the House of Kingdom becomes a prince – his greed for power is endless. Temples desecrated, Master Knights claim they are getting rid of shadow beasts. Weird monsters popping up in the fields of Hyrule. First Knight Sora does not take his duties seriously spends time flirting with princess. Knight Link called in for a disciplinary hearing because he fought with the chief of the Gerudo Kingdom. Zora's domain is being robbed of resources. Famous prison in Gerudo Kingdom turns into a playground for the Knights of Hyrule. Leader of the Master Knight leaves for other worlds without notice and reason. The company of Knights have nothing to do – takes a vacation. Princess Zelda acting unlike herself'

She froze on seeing the letter with the accusation written on it. It was stamped and approved by quite a number of council members.

"So they noticed" she mused.

Suddenly she felt weary. How will she deal with all of these complaints when she wasn't even are of three-quarters of them. Zelda decided not to rely on Sora anymore and to keep him away from castle duties so he could focus on leading his Knights. Taking a deep breath, she dipped her quill in a gold rimmed inkwell and tackled the task before her.

She was the personification of Wisdom.

The princess of Hyrule does not give up easily.

* * *

"It's so dark in here" Zack griped "are you sure this is the correct way?"

Even though it was unnecessary, Shad adjusted his glasses.

"This is the only way to the Hidden village old boy" he explained "us outsiders are not allowed in here, therefore, it was built deep in the mountains to prevent normal people from finding out where they live, because of this, they have a wealth of unexplored history!"

"Master Sora, couldn't you just create a dark corridor and waltz us right into the village?" The ninth ranked whined insistently.

"If he could Zack, we wouldn't be traversing this corridor" Sheikha spat "and if you don't want to be here you are welcome to leave"

"What's gotten into you?" The male shot back, normally reserved, Sheikha was acting really obstinate today.

"You heard Shad. Outsiders are not allowed to set foot in our village" saying this she disappeared into a stream of shadows.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, as they came upon the entrance; Link duly noted how the boulder blocking the way was smashed into smithereens. He could pick up traces of dark energy within the remains. Traces of Ganondorf and someone else, the Hylian sniffed. The residual darkness seemed familiar; however, he could not point it out to whom it belonged to.

A nasty surprise was waiting for them in the deserted hamlet. In a remarkably short amount of time, the Hidden village had transformed into a hideout for bulbins and bulbin archers. Wasting no time, Sora summoned his Kingdom-key, then without further ado and commands, he rushed headlong into battle. Link, admiring how quickly his leader intercepted the enemies, unsheathed his own weapon and was about to make a mad dash when someone grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic. Feeling annoyed he growled.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Zack "slow down buddy, team effort. Get it. T-e-a-m e-f-f-o-r-t"

Reluctantly putting away his sword, the bearer of courage drew his bow, fitting the hawk-eye over his eyes, he strung his bow with an arrow and taking aim he let the shot loose. The arrow flew true to its target and felled an archer posted in a sentry tower on the far side of town. Giving the departing knights a hands up, he clambered on a box and began sniping with his bow and arrow, covertly getting rid of his enemies.

And a bit of his frustration as well.

Demolishing the scaffolding of a platform, Sora was pleasantly startled when the bulbin on top lolled and rolled off to one side, there was an arrow sticking out of its neck. Sensing a dark beast behind him, he spun around and commanded a thundaga, which fired the creature. The first knight was nearing the end of the village and he spied a lone unbroken house amongst the broken buildings. Reminding himself to check it out later, he entered a dilapidated structure through a shattered window and was instantaneously assaulted by a horde of enemies. Casting a mega-flare, he destroyed both his enemies and the building. Rubbing his head, he guiltily grinned at Impa and pointed to the ashen remains.

"Sorry" he mumbled.

The stoic second commander said nothing.

Link detached the Hawk-eye from his face and stowed it away in his pouch along with his bow. Nimbly climbing down from his lookout, he proceeded to the place where Sora and Impa stood. As he was on his way, he perceived an aged woman exiting the house situated on the other side. She stalked up to the first and second commanders and raised her walking cane high, before the tenth knight could shout a warning; the old lady had already struck the leader on his head.

The thwack echoed around the haunted village.

Sora stood still. There was an intense pain ricocheting throughout his head. Stars danced before his eyes. Reaching up, he vigorously rubbed the affected area and turned slowly, only to have a short granny hefting a walking stick, explode in his face.

"How dare you show your face here Sonny!" she screeched and the commotion drew the rest of the knights like ants to honey, Zack watched in mild amusement on seeing their leader get chewed out. "Just because you died your hair does not mean I forgot your face and hairstyle, with that ridiculous up do, you stick out like a sore thumb!" she huffed, her face turning red in the process "do you think I'm going to easily forget the one who destroyed this village? HUH? DO YOU SONNY?"

The lady began trembling. Impa strode forward to calm her; instead, the elder clutched her cane and swung it downwards. Reflexes kicking in automatically, Impa slid to the side and the honorary receiver of the second attack turned out to be none other than

Sora.

Tensing, the Master Knights wisely took a synchronized step backwards. Any moment, their superior will whip out Kingdom key and…

He simply stood there, with his head hanging low. Feeling slightly ashamed because he merely watched Sora get humiliated, Link opened his mouth to protest, however, Zack beat him to the punch.

"Old lady!" he boomed and shuffled closer (though still giving Sora a wide berth) "do you know who you just whacked? He is the leader of the Master Knights, first born of the House of Kingdom AND the prince of Hyrule, soon to be king" he took a deep breath and continued "we are not taking this laying down!" He aimed to draw his Buster sword; instead, Sheikha materialized and stopped him.

"What are y-"

"She is our grandmother you are speaking to" the ninja intoned.

Wait…what?

"I don't care!" the ninth rank shouted back "she just hit our leader and accused him and you're okay with this?"

A perplexing feeling rose within Link, the darkness was thick in the village and the bickering of two knights was not helping either, he cast a glance at Sora, the prince seemed to be in deep contemplation.

"Granny" Sora began speaking and the arguing died down immediately "allow m-"

"Call me Impaz" the elder stated tartly.

Sigh

"Impaz, could you give me a description of who destroyed this place and how it was overrun with monsters?"

"Hmph! You should know best" came the retorting reply. Off to one side, Shad adjusted his glasses.

"Grandmother" Impa called softly "at least answer his question; you may be confusing him for his younger brother who is missing at the moment."

Impaz's pupils dilated with understanding, her mouth forming a perfect O.

"Well…he sure looks a lot like you son" she spoke apologetically "Black hair sticking out on all sides and piercing golden eyes. He looked like he was about to tear the world into pieces…might be mad I presume and there was another one. A hulking brute with flaming hair and a beakish nose. This one was dark skinned."

The air in the hamlet suddenly dropped a few degrees in temperature. Link could see cold sweat dotting his leader's face.

"Vani…tas" he whispered "I can't… I don't understand…why? Why?"

Why?

* * *

The dark haired youth moaned and shifted his arms, the sounds of clanging chains echoed in the darkness infused cell.

Something slid down his cheek; Vanitas could not tell if it was tears from his eyes or blood.

Peering at his chest, he was a bit horrified to see the outline of his ribs. He blinked the moisture out of his eyes and looked again, yes, they lines were still there.

He was beginning to resemble a skeleton.

"It looks like you don't want my body anymore" he rasped to no-one in particular. Speaking was a pain; it felt like a thousand needles were scratching his throat and lungs.

A flash of light briefly illuminated the dank cell. It was comforting to have Void gear in his hand. A second later, the weapon blinked out of existence. The arrogant adolescent, proud of his power, could not even sustain the appearance of his weapon.

Something wet slid down his cheeks and this time he let the salty tears trace his face.

* * *

"Sheikha and I will stay behind for restoration. Please allow us this privilege Master Sora, we have already broken a rule, we do not want to break anymore."

Numbed to the core, yet still managing to be functional, Sora smiled politely and nodded at Impa's request. He was sitting in a comfortable chair in Impaz's house. The old woman herself was entertaining both Shad and Link by telling them stories and myths about the Hidden village. In her hands was the Dominion Rod. The bespectacled man seemed to be enthralled by her tales. Link, on the other hand, looked slightly bored, but he was duty bound to stay.

"So the Dominion rod and Sky book are both needed to enter the City in the sky? Sounds wonderfully interesting." Shad pondered loudly "I see there are several characters missing here…" he pointed to the empty spaces.

"Of course there will be empty spaces" Impaz quipped "only the messenger of heavens will be able to go to the city of the skies and wield this rod…as you noticed; it had lost its power."

Leaving the Shad and Impaz to talk, Link got up and joined Zack who was scrutinizing the family paintings lining on the wall. He was intently staring at a picture of a beautiful young girl with a shock of blonde hair neatly arranged into a ponytail.

"She looks cute" Zack muttered "Wish she'd stop bandaging her face like tha- aacckk. I'm sorry"

"I didn't do anything" Sheikha droned and elegantly raised an eyebrow.

Sora finished the lukewarm tea and rose from his seat. Opening a corridor he commanded the knights to go home as the mission was accomplished. Then, before anyone, he vanished through the dark portal.

It was twilight when he made his way back to Hyrule Castle.

Sunlight streamed in through the large windows and illuminated the study. Sitting in a stiff posture, her countenance stern, the princess of Hyrule took another document, read it routinely and started writing. Sora watched how the quill spilled ink, forming neat words in an elegant script. There were two moderately huge piles of paperwork and the frosted Zelda was doing her best to reduce them both.

Twilight faded and night set in. Lanterns and candles were lit. Still the aristocrat refused to do anything else but scan the papers in front of her. Sora who was lounging on a couch wondered if it was possible for him to go home today. Closing his eyes, he intended to take a small nap.

He fell fast asleep instead.

Silvery light spilled in the room, intermingling with the soft glow of candle light. Bleary eyed and with no sense of time, Sora stumbled off the couch and blinked rapidly. He wasn't seeing things; Zelda was still at her desk, reading the letters with the same fervor as she was doing several hours ago.

It was midnight.

Midnight! Was this woman crazy?

'Was this the way Vanitas felt every time he saw me sitting at a desk and working on those papers?'

Stomping over he snatched a document, read it and sheepishly put it back on the pile. Over half of the complaints were about him.

Feel the shame Sora.

"Zelda, go to sleep" he forcefully spoke, bringing her out of her working trance.

"I'm almost finished, please go home for today" she curtly responded.

"Please…go rest"

"Problems don't solve themselves Sora" she raised her head and all he saw was fatigue in her expression. "I'll go once I'm done, do not worry." She went back to her work without another word.

Sora couldn't convince her otherwise, with a heavy heart, he left.


	33. Chapter 32: Starry Knights

A/N: Okay readers, another confession: Things start changing from this chapter onwards. What's changing? Read below to find out. Also please read and review and provide constructive criticism so I can improve it. Once again, if you are confused don't hesitate to ask or PM. I don't bite heads…unless you are made of chocolate. Then you better beware

Disclaimer: No, I don't and never will own LOZ or KH. Tis merely a pipe dream

* * *

Chapter 32: Starry Knights

He breathed in water.

Half unconscious, he sputtered and held his breath. But how long could one do that?

Letting out steam, he tried a shallow inhale. Cloying darkness seeped into his throat, gagging him, choking him.

Suffocating him.

Turning his head to the side, he observed his arms.

Stick thin, yet, he couldn't slip his delicate wrists out of the cuffs binding them.

His already pale skin had now been bleached white. How long was he here to be reduced to such a state?

One week? Two weeks?

One month?

Vanitas licked his lips. They were dry, chapped.

Cracked and bleeding.

* * *

Sora had spent several sleepless nights poring over his recent discovery of Vanitas' doings. He still refused to believe his brother had teamed up with the holder of power and helped him to desecrate a village. True, the adolescent was a bit wrong in the head; however, he wouldn't willingly do anything so terrible would he? Somehow, he felt this was all his fault. Maybe if he paid more attention to his demanding brother, things might've turned out differently. Unfortunately he was too busy trying to break the curse on Zelda. Well so much for breaking the curse, all in all, the process had been harrowing and he had not received the results he wanted.

The first knight shook himself out of his morbid ruminations and stared at the freshly baked cookies lining the cookie sheet. They looked and smelt a little burnt. In the living room he could hear Riku and Kairi laughing. He also picked up the twins' voices over their laughter and there was a third male voice underlining the chattering in the room.

Pulling off his oven gloves, he left the kitchen and walked over whilst untying his frilly apron and discarding it in the passage. He'd pick it up later. Upon reaching the room, his mood slightly soured. Both his friends from Destiny Island were invited over to spend a few days in Hyrule since Sora officially let the knights off for a several days. He appreciated their company, however, the source of his dampened humor turned out to be the sight of a ridiculously long windsock-ish hat and the owner of said hat.

"Link" he called out and the person turned, his mouth crammed full of popped corn. The knight looked like a guilty chipmunk.

"May I ask who invited you here? Pardon the harsh words, commoners are not allowed in our Mansion"

Sora felt rotten while he said those terms.

"I did" Ven piped up before the Hylian could reply "Roxas and I saw him training in the courtyard this morning and we dragged him over…so it's not his fault" the boy pouted.

Ignoring his younger brother's explanation, he fixated his eyes on Riku and Kairi, unlike him who was burdened with inner turmoil, those two looked carefree and happy.

"Kairi, help me with the cookies" he groaned "and Riku, get off the TV, at the rate you are going, it's gonna overheat and explode"

He was thinking about Zelda. Whenever he went to see the princess for a cordial chat or popped his head in the study, he beheld the image of her sitting at her desk tackling a mountain of papers. The image was so familiar; it seemed as if it had been burned under his eyelids. Talking to her won't work; she simply ignored everything around her and immersed herself in her task. There were shadows and bags underneath her eyes and her pretty face appeared gaunt.

Still she worked, refusing to let Sora anywhere near the papers. She was drowning in her work.

Torturing herself.

"Sorry, I'm only here for a few days and besides, we don't have the privilege of wall sized televisions in Destiny Island. Give me a break will you?" The silver haired male ended his rhetorical question by stuffing his face with a fistful of popped corn. Kairi was more compassionate. She got up and followed Sora into the kitchen where she stared at him as he put his apron on.

"Isn't that for girls?" she mildly asked.

"Yeah, mom gave it to me so I wear it despite Vanitas threatening to kill me"

"Have you found out where he is?" Kairi questioned softly.

The brunette stopped fumbling with the strings and looked at her. His expression one of pained anxiety.

"No…" he trailed off.

There was a short silence as the two worked on a new batch of biscuits. Sora rolled the dough out unevenly and handed it over to the red-head. She expertly rolled it out again evenly, cut the doughy sheet using different cookie cutters, set them on a baking tray and slid the tray smoothly into the hot oven. Sora watched her actions with awe.

"You should do something to keep your mind off things Sora" the girl smiled at him "it won't do any good to worry over matters beyond your control."

Her voice reverberated in his mind for a long period of time.

* * *

"An aptitude test?" Link could hear the slight tremor in his friend's voice.

Taking Kairi's advice, Sora resolved to test the knights after the holiday was over. Then he decided to propose a rescue mission for Vanitas. Even though he had no idea where his younger brother was.

"Yes, Knight Fair. It has been quite some time since we did one. Link upholds his strength with diligent training, I want to see if the rest of you are as determined as he is. After taking the test, there will be a reshuffling of ranks, so be prepared to give your best." Sora intoned.

Fear, apprehension and excitement. Link could taste it in the air; the feelings enveloped the area like a cloud.

"Okay, who would like to volunteer as the first member?" Sora queried.

Unsurprisingly Link's arm shot up. His mouth was curled into a wolfish smile.

Stepping closer to Master Sora, the Hylian bowed and drew his sword. He waited patiently for his superior to summon Kingdom key. The instant the key-blade flashed into existence, Link lunged, aiming to drive the tip of his sword into Sora's chest. However, a paralytic pain shooting through his body told him that he had been hit by thunder magic. Rolling around, he went on the defensive, eyeing the young leader's motions like a hawk. Shielding himself, Link charged again. He managed to get in a few good strikes. Sora distanced himself and the tip of Kingdom key glowed. In response, the bearer of courage dodge-rolled as several columns of thunder struck random spots. Managing to roll all the way behind Sora, he pounced up from the grass and pressed his blade against the first knight's nape. The urge to draw blood was tempting and Link had a hard time controlling his breathing. All of a sudden he the world before him became dark.

Pushing himself away, he flailed and rubbed his eyes.

"Relax Link, I casted blackout on you, you are currently blind, don't worry, the effect won't last long." Sora explained "Well done with your test. I'm really impressed with your skills. You will receive a new ranking." Link failed to see the way the prince rubbed the back of his neck.

"Next…the twin dragons. I won't go easy on you even if you're my brothers"

"YEAH!" exclaimed Ashei.

Ventus bounced to his brother with a wide grin plastered on his face; meanwhile Roxas put the hood up of his long coat and lagged behind. Once the two were in position, Ven held up Wayward wind in his signature reverse grip and Roxas solemnly gripped a black key-blade with both hands.

His vision starting to clear, Link watched the apparent confusion on Sora's mien.

"Where is Oathkeeper?" the wielder of Kingdom key demanded.

Breaking his fighting stance, the boy explained the events causing him to lose the ability to dual wield. Every member listened intently. After the explanation, the twins were still required to fight, due to his inability to command two blades; the twins suffered a crushing defeat. Roxas pulled the drawstrings of his hood till one could not see his face. Ven, on the other hand didn't seemed to be bothered by the loss.

"Zack Fair" announced Sora.

In the corridors of Hyrule Castle, Zelda hurried along clutching a sheaf of papers. The thick carpet muffled her footsteps and the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows went unnoticed. She halted on hearing the clanging sound of metal. Somewhere, there was a fight going on. Frowning, she waited and listened. The sound appeared to me emerging from the courtyard outside. Locating a window, she peered through it and was met with an unusual sight:

Sora and Zack Fair was engaged in an intense duel. Magic was blasted in all directions and even from the second floor; Zelda could see sparks being thrown off when the two weapons connected. The rest of the Master Knights formed a loose ring around them. Forgetting her original purpose, she stood by and watched how the two fought with intensity. Zack let loose a barrage of blizzard magic and this was countered by a mega flare. The grass was scorched and burnt and inwardly the princess lamented the loss of a well-kept lawn. The moment the fight ended with the ninth rank kneeling on the ground, did Zelda remember that she had to work to do. Muttering to herself, she marched to her study with new determination.

The Hylian's head was abuzz with enthusiasm as he and the rest of the knights gathered around the Knights table. Next to him Zack looked utterly exhausted. The spiky haired male flopped over on the table as Sora entered the chamber with Impa. In his hands was a scroll.

How old fashioned.

Sliding into his seat, the prince first politely smiled at the group and unrolled the parchment.

"So, I've taken your tests and I must say, some of you have outdone yourself. As promised I've discussed with Impa and will now state your new rankings, once I'm done, please reposition yourself accordingly around the table." He announced.

"Here goes: First and Second rank is of course reserved for Impa and myself" he grinned smugly "third rank goes to…Link. Well done, your constant training has brought you here; do not neglect to better yourself." Upon hearing these words Link was dumbfounded and thought his leader had made a mistake, but the roaring cheers drowned out his insecurities. His face beamed happily.

"Aqua remains at fourth rank. And Zack Fair climbs up to Fifth…another pleasant surprise, keep up the good work"

The knight leapt up from his metallic throne and screeched, all traces of fatigue had vanished.

"Sheikha and Ashei have both been demoted into sixth and seventh ranks respectively, Sheikha I can understand as she has been mentally shaken. Ashei, pick up the pace, I know you are laid-back and now it has cost you your rank." A stern look was sent their way.

"Finally, Auru retains his eighth ranking" Sora rolled the scroll up "and the twin dragons are ranked ninth. Ventus, I'm very disappointed in you, what part of: do your best, did you not understand? Roxas, the same goes for you. This was the most pathetic attempt you two have ever shown me!" He exclaimed and the noble duo hung their heads in shame.

"They are probably so grateful to see you back to your old self that they did not care about the outcome" Impa gently pointed out "Be kind, everyone here knows they are stronger than their rank"

"I know" mumbled the first knight "it's just…never mind." Raising his head he continued "for now, the tenth rank will again be open, feel free to suggest a new recruit."

A stiff silence permeated the room, no one wanted to ask the obvious question.

"What about Vanitas yeah" Ashei boldly asked and the rest exhaled in relief.

"He will never be joining the knights ever again, not while I'm still the leader. What he did was unforgivable. Speaking of him…despite what had transpired, he is ultimately my brother. I would like to find him and knock some sense into his thick skull. I won't demand anyone to go…so…any helpers?"

Every knight's hand shot up in unison.

"We're in" stated Zack "without Vanitas, this place is boring, right Sheikha?" he jabbed the female knight.

She muttered a reply.

"Any idea where he is yeah?"

"Vanitas is not in this world" Link announced and the attention swiveled to him. He felt slightly uncomfortable in Vanitas' chair. The throne was pitch black and ribboned with pulsating red veins. The arm and headrests were spiked and the entire seat was hard. The Hylian squirmed.

"In the hidden village, his trace of darkness does not lead anywhere; it simply begins and ends there. I'm guessing he is in another world. If he was using dark corridors to travel between different provinces in Hyrule, I'd be able to taste vestiges of his darkness during our search for him. There was no sign or trace and…well, Master Vanitas has a unique form of darkness. It tastes a bit like-"

Zack and Aqua made faces. "We don't know want to know what it tastes like Link" Aqua cut in.

Right.

The members around the table observed their leader; Sora looked like his soul flew out of his body.

"Master Sora is tired. You are dismissed for now. Please reconvene here tomorrow." Impa discharged the knights.

* * *

She forced herself to write even though her vision was blurring before her. Gloves stained with ink, the princess briefly glanced up and saw someone enter the room. Ignoring the visitor, she turned her eyes to the page and scanned it.

"Princess" a female voice droned "you look terrible"

Zelda mechanically raised her head and was greeted by a pair of ruby irises gazing strictly at her.

"Impa, how nice to see you" The Hylian princess managed a smile, for some reason her jaw ached. Behind the female knight Sora cast a brief glance and went to his usual spot on the couch. He appeared to be very unhappy.

"What brings you here? She queried in what she thought was a light tone.

"Your condition, have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?" her guardian quipped.

Zelda remained quiet. Her maid was complaining about her uncombed hair this morning.

"Princess Zelda?"

"I promise to go to sleep early tonight" Zelda declared "I simply need to finish a few more documents Impa" she reassured the overwhelming knight" Backing down, the second knight nodded and left the study.

The chimes of the great clock woke him yet again. It was midnight and as expected Zelda was still sitting stiffly in her desk and writing.

Sora felt angry.

"You promised" he hissed and pounded his fist on the desk and for the first time in the history of Hyrule, the princess was startled, she accidentally upended the inkwell on a stack of completed documents. Her expression turned so sorrowful, Sora could only stare and feel the wrath ebbing away from him leaving behind a melancholic emptiness.

She was so beautiful and strong. Yet, even she was falling apart. _Everything was falling apart._

"Come with me" he hoarsely whispered. The princess remained petrified on her seat, her eyes wide with disbelief. Deciding to be stubborn, he dragged her out of her chair and on to the rooftop of the castle. Perhaps she had come to her senses since she appeared shocked and was clutching a spire from a nearby castle tower like her life depended on it. Her face was glued to the sky almost as if she refused to acknowledge his presence.

Or his existence.

He too gazed at the countless stars decorating the sky. Some of them could be worlds, planets, suns.

Stars.

He peeked at her and found his chest constricting. He saw the stars reflecting off her glassy, mesmerized eyes. Heart throbbing violently, his gaze forced itself downwards, appreciating the delicate contours of her cheek. Face burning, he tore his scrutiny away and forced himself to gape at the sky once more searching for something. Anything.

"Ah, there's Herc the Jerk" He let out involuntarily. To his surprise, the princess stirred.

"Who?" she frowned.

The prince scratched his head. "Hercules, a hero from the world of Olympus" he replied.

"…I'd like to go to sleep" Zelda announced abruptly "please escort me to my bedroom…this height…is making me diz-" her arms went slack as she fainted from sheer tiredness.

Feeling a weight lifting off his chest, he carried the sleeping princess back to her room. Tucking her safely in bed, he opened a window and jumped out.


	34. Chapter 33: The worlds in between

A/N: Hey guys! Do you remember the time when both you and I thought this story was not going to shift from Hyrule and its neighboring countries? Yeah I still do. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to Blazblade who has been anticipating Link going to other worlds, well here you are! Hope I didn't disappoint. Please read and review, as mentioned before, constructive criticism is appreciated. Also a very big thank you to GamesMaster64 for following my story (POWER!)

Disclaimer: I do not own KH or LOZ. I simply own this story concocted from the creative side of my brain.

* * *

Chapter 33: The worlds in between

Several days later Sora found himself yawning and marching to Hyrule Castle with his trusty second in command in a tow. Locating the princess study, he opened the door without permission and found her reading a particularly thick tome.

Upon seeing this, his shoulder sagged. What will it take to stop this lady from working? He wondered.

Striding over, he was about to rudely snatch the book when the aristocrat herself raised her head and gave the newcomers a dazzling smile. Sora recoiled. He was not expecting her to be so cheerful. Nevertheless he suspiciously asked:

"What are you reading?"

"The History of Hyrule…I promised not to do any work Sora. You don't have to be so skeptical."

"Just checking" he muttered.

Dragging over the couch, he and Impa sat on and began a discussion with the princess. He related about how Vanitas had potentially gone rouge and had teamed up with Ganondorf. The two of them obliterated the Hidden Sheikh village by summoning Hylian monsters. Zelda could see how frustrated and dejected the first knight was, despite him managing to do a superb job of covering up his feelings. She closed Hyrule Historia and decided to read it later. Right now there were more pressing matters to discuss, of course Vanitas was one of them, but, that was not her topic of conversation. She wanted to know why Sora left Destiny Islands.

When he had everything anyone ever wanted.

Her question caught the brunette off guard. He was expecting Zelda to come up with solution for finding Vanitas, instead she had asked about his personal life. After gaping like a goldfish, he composed himself and told his tale:

"I wanted to know what was out there. Destiny Islands is a small world, yes I had wonderful parents, siblings and friends however, I simply couldn't get rid of my curiosity of what was out there. It's mainly Riku's fault though. He was the instigator; he egged me on till we left. And then things happened and I ended up as the leader of the Master Knights" he puffed his chest out with childlike pride "oh, and as a prince" Sora added as an afterthought.

"What about you Zelda? How was your childhood like?" he queried and leaned forward, an eager expression lighting up his face.

"My childhood…was not very pleasant to say at least. The triforce of power had already been reincarnated and then I came along. So the sages were really cautious to keep me from leaving the castle. Whenever the birthmark on my hand glowed, or I envisioned something, they would immediately rush me to a tower and lock me up, citing that it was for my own good. Mother and Father died when I was very young. I do not remember how they looked. I'm sure…I'm sure my mother was beautiful. There was a painting of her in my parents' bedroom, unfortunately the place has been cleared off and I did not see the picture again" Here she paused and took a deep breath. She observed how Sora listened intently, his mouth slightly open. She wanted to giggle, although it was unbecoming of a princess.

"I met Impa when I was ten and we became best friends" Zelda glanced at the person in question who blushed modestly and covered the lower part of her face "since she came, I stopped telling the sages about my dreams and to be honest, my visions were not so terrible anymore. At eighteen you appeared and I…" the sentence broke off.

"I thought you were wonderful" her tone turned soft.

Hearing this the prince subconsciously twiddled with the silver chain hanging around his neck. Unseen by him, Impa smirked.

"Right, about Vanitas" he mumbled and changed the course of the conversation.

"I'm not sure if your information is correct Sora. Vanitas is a sentient being of pure darkness is he not?" she asked "if so, he is not compatible with Ganondorf's brand of darkness.

"Darkness has brands?" Sora warbled.

"Yes, you see darkness is usually known as the opposite of light, normally it is shunned by higher beings. In our case, as in the world of Hyrule, darkness or power is a divine gift from the goddesses. Ganondorf possess what we term as Divine darkness. I'm still not clear about the details. The mixing of beings from different worlds has created many new opportunities and problems. I will look into it some more and relate the results to you. For now, I suggest you send the knights off to the outer worlds to search for him, since you said he might not be in Hyrule anymore."

"…I understand. Thank you for your advice Zelda" he got up, bowed and left.

"Is everything going well Princess?" Impa's muffled words were directed at the lady.

"Not really" she re-opened her tome "I've merely learnt to accept my circumstances and besides, there are worse candidates I could be married off too."

* * *

"So there you have the situation, if anyone wants to stand down, you may do so now."

The first knight rested his chin on clasped hands and gazed at the excited faces of his knights. Link's face was alight with delight.

'Another adventure lover huh' Sora inwardly grinned, he knew the feeling all too well.

"I wanna go to the Olympic Coliseum!" exclaimed Zack and the leader closed his eyes in irritation, he was beginning to regret the rank reshuffle and Zack was way too close to him to be bellowing akin to a banshee.

"You may go there, don't scream" Sora sternly stated.

The knight quailed.

"I will divide you into smaller groups. Since you are going off to different universes, exercise utmost caution. It has been a while since we set foot in different worlds. You have a visit limit of three worlds and do not break formation under-"

"We get it yeah!" Ashei huffed "stop nagging like a grandma and give us our mission already yeah!"

Jeez, listen to Sora will you?

"Fine." He relented. "Link you will team up with Aqua, Roxas and Ventus. Take good care of them" The blue haired knight beamed at him and Link smiled back.

"Zack, Sheikha and Ashei will venture to Olympic Coliseum. Take care of Zack, the place is his hometown. Sheikha make sure he does his job correctly."

"Impa and Auru, I trust you two will be okay on your own? If you need help; seek out Riku…wherever he might be."

"And what about you?" Impa inquired.

"I'll go alone, rather, I'll go visit my parents…and tell them…about Vanitas." A short silence "they need to know he might be permanently stationed at home somewhere in the near future."

A pregnant silence hung in the room. The situation turned grave.

"So team Link, start your journey at the Key-blade graveyard and continue from there. Aqua will guide you as where you should go next. Zack's team will start at Olympus Coliseum and Impa…where would you want to start?"

How unfair, thought the rest of the knights, she gets to choose where she goes.

"Castle oblivion and End of the world" she droned "I'll find your friend and ask him to help me"

"Fine, be careful and since everyone pretty much knows what to do, you are hereby dismissed. Master Knights begin your mission at once!" The first knight commanded in an authoritative voice.

The chamber emptied out in a matter of minutes. Letting out a sigh and feeling the tension leaving his body, Sora slumped over and took a nap on the table.

* * *

Why was he saddled with Aqua?

Not that he minded though, it was simply a bit awkward to be holding onto her waist like his life depended on it. Her entire body was covered in thick armor though.

This was the first time Link had set foot outside the world of Hyrule. In tandem with the metal bike he currently travelled on, the twins flew along balancing expertly on a winged waveboard type vehicle courtesy of Ventus, the armored boy flashed Link a wide grin.

The lanes between the worlds looked like a mauve cosmos. The Hylian observed with wonder at the twinkling lights of distant worlds. As he did so the pit of his stomach churned and he began shaking.

Not again…and since when did the transformation hurt this much? He tried to keep his breathing even, alas, he soon started panting and his body was tingling painfully.

"Are you okay Link?" Aqua's concerned question drifted into his ears.

He tried to speak, instead all he could manage was a whimper.

Deciding the situation to be somewhat severe, the fourth ranked knight clutched her key-blade glider tighter and sped off faster, diving into the sky of the Key-blade graveyard. She expertly controlled the bike to a standstill as Link hurtled off and crudely pulled his helmet from his head. Throwing it aside, he crouched on the arid soil on all fours and howled. Shadows twisting, the twins touched down only to see a blue-gray beast wagging its tail at them and emitting a short bark.

Like a greeting.

"Link?" Roxas voiced incredulously "did he have to turn into _this_ right now?" The noble helplessly gestured to the sacred wolf sitting on its haunches.

"Probably a safety mechanism to protect him from other worlds?" Aqua mused, not really confident of her theory.

"Protect him from what?" Roxas snapped "the dirt in this place?" He sighed and materialized a single key-blade "whatever let's go and find Vanitas" He marched forward and Aqua followed him. Only Ventus stayed behind and gave Wolf Link a good scratch behind his ears. To his utmost shame, the Hylian actually enjoyed it.

Key-blades, key-blades everywhere stuck blade first into the barren soil. Link looked around; there were no signs of life. Not even monsters, they too shunned this place. The sacred beast could pick up a soft moaning. Was it the wind or…

No it was not the wind, he heard it correctly, it was the lamentations of the felled warriors. The musical moaning grew in intensity, it gave birth to feelings. Hatred, hope, a desperate scramble for survival.

A pray, a wish.

He could hear them all. Flattening his ears against his head he sneaked a peek at Aqua, her face was set in a determined expression, most likely humans couldn't perceive what he did. Trying to get rid of the burden, he bounded forward, ahead of Roxas who was currently leading the team. Then, without warning, a heavy weight pressed on his back. He snarled irritably.

"Sorry" chirped Ventus "I'm not too heavy am I?" he pouted and grabbed hold of Link's blue gray fur. "Let's go to the top right there" he pointed to a rock face "we can see pretty much the entire place…although I'm sure Vanitas isn't in this world. Am I right?"

The beast merely growled and leapt forward. In the dust trail he left behind, Roxas glowered and Aqua placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"I want to ride the wolf as well…" he gloomily declared. In response, the fourth knight activated her key-blade glider and pulled the dejected twin with her. The duo zoomed past Link and Ven and all they could hear were the word 'race' tossed to the winds.

Link huffed, jumping on the rock face whilst carrying someone on your back was quite exhausting, not to mention he almost slipped, twice. Like Ventus pointed out, there was no sign of the demoted knight. De-materializing his key-blade, Roxas opened a dark corridor and asked Aqua where they should head next.

The girl rubbed her chin before replying.

"How about Atlantica?"

* * *

Floating around in a protective bubble with no sense of up or down, Link was glad he was a beast instead of human.

He was glad Aqua didn't see his face.

The three key-blade wielders had turned into merfolk. From waist down Ventus had a dolphin tail whilst his brother sported a shark's one. The two boys (and one hovering beast) were gaping at Aqua who swished happily in the water. Her tail was adorned with overlapping scales, shimmering blue. Her waist was wrapped in a string of multi-colored beads and thankfully she was covered, unlike her male counterparts whose chest was bared. Unsurprisingly her top was sleeveless and powder blue.

Blue, and beautiful.

The knight twirled around in circles, creating bubbles. The sun's rays managed to filter through the water and reflect off the dancing beads and her glistening scales. A twinkling laughter escaped from her mouth.

"You-you look really pretty Aqua" Ven blushed and Roxas nodded dumbly. Behind Aqua, Link pawed the air trying in vain to upright himself. Though he was staring shamelessly, he still couldn't detach his eyes from her.

For the first time, he was glad to be a sacred beast.

'Sacred beasts don't peep' argued his conscious. He let the comment slide. Finally the blue haired knight turned to him and observed how he miserably floated. He quickly looked away and felt slightly dizzy as blood rushed around his head and face.

Since he was an animal, his cheeks won't go red, Link reassured himself.

"It's a shame Link, but I think you will be better off on the surface. You won't be able to keep your breath in your beast state, not to mention your waterlogged fur will only weigh you down."

The Hylian heard part of her words since he was too busy appreciating her looks, when her words finally registered he whined pathetically.

"Don't be stubborn, we'll just look through this world and go straight to the next one." Aqua stated and since he was unable to talk back, the beast gave up, his powerful shoulders drooping. The key-blader pushed the spherical barrier to the surface and on to the beach where it disintegrated, leaving a forlorn Link. She gave a hesitant wave and slipped back beneath the waves. Directing his gaze at the blue sky he prepared himself to wait.

"Poor Link" the twins chorused as they swam through the underwater city. Glancing back, the elder noble witnessed how Aqua glided and he remarked:

"You wanted to come to this world didn't you? Not to search for Vanitas but to see how it looks."

"Whoops, I've been found out!" she smiled.

They searched the place high and low, from sunken ships to a shady hideout where they were assaulted by Ursula and a band of heatless. Whipping her weapon out, and with a fearsome expression, Aqua froze the surrounding area and dispatched the heartless single handedly. Tail swishing to keep her balance; she pointed her key-blade at the tentacle creature. Darkness oozed out of it and turned the water murky.

"Have you seen a black haired adolescent around here?" Aqua demanded "he wears a black and red body suit and is usually seen with a domed helmet."

"No sweety" Ursula gushed, one of her tentacles started wrapping around Aqua slender arm. Unhesitatingly she brought her key-blade down in a downward slash and severed the tentacle.

"Bind" commanded Aqua and the sea-witch paralyzed, her limbs twitched with effort.

"Let's return" the female exhaled "Vanitas is not here either.

Link woke up to smiles.

'Did they find Vanitas?'

…

'No'

"Onwards to the next world" Roxas and Ventus chorused "We didn't find big brother in this one" the younger clarified.

'Oh well, at least he was having fun'

* * *

Before she left with Zack and Ashei to Olympus Coliseum, Sheikha decided to peek into the library to find a book on how to survive other worlds and their dangers. However, as soon as she stepped into the area she stopped in her tracks.

Shad was there, half asleep on one of the luxurious reading couches. In front of him was a desk stacked full of books, some of the books were open and others had fallen haphazardly to the floor, in the middle of the table in an open space lay the Dominion rod and the Hidden villages' treasure: The sky book.

She would've felt irritated with an outsider researching their legends; instead she only felt liberating content.

Sheikha was done keeping secrets.


	35. The worlds in between Part 2

A/N: Much gratitude to shadowmwape for following my story it gives me POWER! And without further ado, here is part two of chapter 33. Read, review and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own KH nor LOZ and I never shall.

* * *

The worlds in between: Part 2

"HOME SWEET HOME!" Zack cheered loudly as he stalked up to the wide doors of his hometown.

Or one of his numerous hometowns.

The two female knights followed him wordlessly. As they entered the town, he began eagerly searching amongst the jostling crowed for a familiar face. Ashei and Sheikha felt slightly uncomfortable in their getup as most of the people sported Greek styled togas, the ninja pulled her face coverings higher.

"Will we find him in this place yeah?" Ashei grumbled, the heat was intense "I mean, the brat doesn't look like the type to hang around people yeah."

"Don't worry" the spiky haired male bounced "we'll find him in no time."

Sheikha admired the architecture in this place; it was far different from anything she saw back at Hyrule. Most of the buildings were white and styled with columns and the streets were cobblestoned. The layout of the city was structured in an organized manner, she noted. The people of this world must be really civilized. In the middle of the town she looked up to a huge statue of a man wearing a cape, he struck a pose showing off his incredibly muscular arms. In contrast to his huge physique, his expression was etched kindly.

"Zack, who is this?" she asked pointing to the statue.

"Hercules, one of my buddies, he knows Master Sora as well." He replied, throwing the statue a customary glance, he continued his search through the crowds, peering at each individual carefully.

"Can't be hard to find him, even in this crowd" he muttered "he sticks out like a sore thumb"

"Then let's go ask this Hercules where Vanitas is hiding yeah, if he is in this world."

The three of them shoved past the masses and went in the direction of the Coliseum gates; before they could enter Zack gave a shout:

"I FOUND HIM!" he yelled gleefully and ran off.

"Who-?" Ashei began but was cut off as Sheikha grabbed her and forcefully hauled her in the direction Zack flew. "We can't get lost here" she said.

"Cloud!" a yell assaulted the blonde's ears, the voice was very familiar and as he turned, his stern, gloomy expression morphed into a tiny smile.

"Zack" he greeted genially. "It's very nice to see you"

In response, the brunette held him in a headlock, if anyone else attempted this; they'd be reduced to strips of flesh, but not Zack.

Never Zack.

Whilst the two best friends exchanged pleasantries, the sixth and seventh knights caught up to them. Ashei felt furious; nevertheless she managed to hide her anger under a calm façade.

"So…it's nice to see Vanitas dying his hair yeah" she snarked. Cloud looked up in confusion and Zack paled.

"Let me introduce you t-"

"We have a mission Zack" Sheikha reminded him in a serious tone "we are to search for Master Sora's missing brother"

Cloud's ears perked at the name.

"Sora? How is he doing, has he run into some trouble?" he queried.

Ashei replied for Zack: "Yes, his younger brother, Vanitas is missing. We have been dispatched into different worlds to search for him yeah."

Cloud held his chin thoughtfully and pondered, Zack was being dragged away by the two female knights and although he had a responsibility to train 'new heroes' as Phil dubbed them, he hoped the goat man would understand if he disappeared once more without a trace. His friend was frantically gesturing with his arms as he was probably trying to explain something. The observing blonde smiled and strapped his sword more securely. He wanted to go with them. Shouldering past the crowds he caught up to the group and proposed:

"Let me come with you, I owe Sora my help."

The masked knight let go of Zack's scruff and he crumpled unceremoniously to the ground, peering at Cloud who was adjusting his cape the brunette welcomed him.

"Welcome to the club buddy!"

* * *

"I'm going with them" a low tone droned. Zack stuck his fingers into his ears and counted to three as Phil's face changed to red. Cue the explosion. Ashei's normally deadpan look melted into surprise and Sheikha had outright warped to safety. The Coliseum lobby shook as Phil's vocal cords were stretched to the limit.

"Going with them are you?" he bellowed "the last time I hired you, you vanished without a trace. And you think I'm just gonna let you waltz out of here? One word for you buddy: NO WAY!" he finished his speech with a dramatic arm gesture.

"That's two w-" pointed out Ashei; Zack clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking.

Unfazed by Phil's outburst Cloud continued his questioning:

"Have you seen an adolescent wearing a red and black body suit? He looks like Sora. Younger brother actually"

"No, is the boy missing?"

The blonde turned away and began walking out of the lobby after replying in affirmative.

The group of four currently sat in a shaded area and tossed forth plans.

"Where to now? Our leader made it clear we are not to visit more than three worlds yeah"

"Somewhere dark, Cloud do know of any place where a lot of dark energy gathers?" Zack directed his question to his friend.

"Hollow Bastion" he answered "it was once home to the dark fay Maleficent."

Zack stood up and shouldered his Buster sword.

"Okay troops move out!" he commanded. He was met with a sigh and a disgruntled stare. Only the blonde showed another indiscernible smile.

* * *

Sora scraped his face off the luminous table top with some difficulty. Stretching out a hand, he created a dark portal and stepped through it. A sea breeze ruffled his spikes as he stood and watched the calming waves of the ocean. After some time he trudged to his home. Every step he took there seemed to weigh him down. Reaching the front door, he hesitated. Shaking his head, he slowly brought up his hand and rapped the wooded door a few times.

The door opened and a pair of golden irises stared back at him with surprise. The first knight raised his hand in greeting.

"Hi Da-"

Suddenly he flew back and landed with a thump on the sand, he put his hand on his nose to stem the flow of blood.

"You…" his dad trembled in fury "how dare you get married to a princess without telling us! Is this how you repay your parents kindness towards you? How did you manage to woo her? And why are you here? Go back and come with my daughter in law." Smoothly opening a dark portal, he pushed his son through it using an aero. The noble sailed through the dark space and found himself being ejected in the princess' bedroom.

He turned white, how did Dad know where her place was?

Deciding to exit the room before he was accused of being a pervert, he rushed towards the door and opened it. On the other side stood Zelda, her face passive.

"Did you need anything?" she inquired "you don't really enter this room unless you have to."

A few excuses flew through his mind. Giving up, he settled for telling her the truth.

"I see. In that case, I'd love to come"

Wait, did he hear correctly?

"You want to come?" he clarified, already scared of what his dad might start.

"Yes, I have met your parents already…they are wonderful people"

"My da-" the words died on his lips. Taking her hand he forced the space to tear and traversed it, this time he lead it right in front of their house where to his mortification, his dad was waiting for him, dad grinned widely on seeing Zelda.

His grin reminded Sora of Vanitas.

Princess Zelda felt warm. She was positive her cheeks were glowing. Perhaps it would be a nice idea to run away from Hyrule castle and live with Sora's parents. Sora's mother had removed all her royal hair ornaments and combed her hair, arranging it into a simple hairstyle. Zelda was used to the maids pulling her hair and brushing it vigorously so it was quite pleasant when gentle hands handled her hair for once. She was now sitting on a couch and having an affable conversation on mundane topics like weather and her favorite food. It was nice not to talk about her duties or how the world needs to be saved, for once. Next to her, Sora sat with a stiff expression. He had planned to relay his message about Vanitas' current conduct and return to Hyrule, instead, guilt churned within him. His parents were rather happy with his marriage and the atmosphere in the house had turned a bit festive. Shattering the current air would be a bit too cruel.

He took a cookie from the plate before him and chewed it mechanically. Briefly glimpsing up, he met with his dad's eyes.

The golden irises were glinting and a slow smile was beginning to stretch across his face.

Exactly like Vanitas.

"Why are you so glum?" His father's tone was kind "we finally found the daughter of our dreams. Stop contaminating our happiness with your dreariness."

Unfortunately the words coming out of his mouth and his childlike actions reminded Sora of his little brother: Ventus.

The brown haired adolescent exhaled deeply.

"Its noth-"

"He wants to speak about Vanitas" cut in Zelda with a firm tone. There is some important information you need to know.

Sora decided to keep it short:

"Vanitas has teamed up with a dangerous creature of darkness and helped him obliterate a village" both parents gasped and widened their eyes in disbelief "when I find him I'l-"

"Give him a good pounding yes? Bring him to me, I'll crush his skull"

Used to this due to Ashei interrupting him constantly, the first knight ignored his parent and continued.

"I'll send him here. He won't be joining the knights anymore." He refused to look at his mother's shocked face.

"Maybe, he is trying to prove something to you…" Mother babbled, "he did always admire you ever since he was little…" she broke off, unable to talk any further.

"What will he prove to me by destroying a village mom? I'm the first knight, tasked with leading the Master Knights in order to protect Hyrule, do you think people will understand if I am lenient towards Vanitas' actions? No they won't. No matter the reason, he will be sent here using force if necessary. If there was a problem plaguing him, it would be his duty to report to me, not to run off and deal with the problem in the way he pleases." Sora took a deep breath and plunged on "besides, he vanished at a critical time, when the knights and Roxas and Ventus were in danger. This fact itself makes his actions unforgivable."

The prince stood up and gestured Zelda to follow him. Outside, he summoned a dark corridor and left without bidding his parents goodbye.

"Your words were harsh yet true" the princess spoke while they were walking through the swirling darkness.

"Did I do something wrong?" He looked at her, searching for a sign on her face. Displeasure, disgust, reproach.

Instead she remained doll-faced.

"No. In time they will come to accept it as the truth." She regally brushed past him and exited the tunnel. Part of him wanted to yell at her to wait.

* * *

Riku was extremely surprised to see the silver haired female knight standing in front of him. However her expression was guarded and she was accompanied by another male (a knight he mused). Her hand went to her sword.

"What are you doing here?" she queried in a subtly harsh tone.

"I'm looking for Xehanort" he replied his voice cool. "And what brings the Master Knights of Hyrule here? I see Sora isn't with you"

Her rigid stance relaxed.

"Vanitas is missing, presumed to team up with Master Xehanort and Ganondorf" she explained.

His aquamarine eyes widened slightly.

"Let me help you" as he said these words, he saw her lips curve into a smile, the older knight next to her looked extremely relived.

"Hmm…we appreciate the help. My name is Auru, it is a pleasure to meet you Riku" the male introduced himself.

"Why did you choose this place?" The trio was walking around the forecourt of Castle oblivion and Riku took the chance to get some more explanation of the obviously bizarre and grim circumstances.

"It's a dangerous place, being the second knight, I decided to take responsibility. Master Sora is currently in Destiny Islands informing his parents about Vanitas' conduct." The posse alighted before an intricately carved, yet stark white door. As she put her hands on the door to push it open, Riku stopped her.

"Be careful" he warned, "memories and pathways mean nothing here. People who step through the door are doomed to oblivion."

Impa tightened her hand and pushed the door open, before them stretched a bluish black infinite space. The area was punctuated by a single, endless flight of stairs. The second knight strode fearlessly and began climbing the winding staircase, Riku and Auru followed close by. Along the way, small heartless and shadows made their appearance. What startled Impa the most was the gradual appearance of bulbins and deku babas.

In other words: Hylian monsters.

Drawing her giant blade, she ran past them and swung her sword, the enemies were weak and were thus gotten rid of easily. Impa kept on climbing at a steady pace but due to the extremely long length of the staircase she was beginning to feel slight fatigue.

"Can we take a break?" Auru huffed, his joints were protesting. The female knight paid scant attention to her male companions and surged forward alone. Reaching at the top of the seemingly never ending flight of stairs, she stumbled on to a landing and sat down waiting for Riku and Auru to catch up.

The two caught up some time later. Standing up, Impa brushed herself down and opened another door and stared.

They were back in the forecourt of the castle.

Gritting her teeth, she walked forward and determined to open the doors to the opposite side of the room. However about half way through someone suddenly made an appearance.

Cloaked in a full body cloak, black boots and gloves and carrying a huge petal pink scythe. Impa was slightly surprised at his feminine features such as rose pink hair…and was that lipstick on his lips?

Whatever.

The man appeared in a flurry of cherry blossom petals, she risked a glance backwards to observe Auru's expression twisted into one of mild disgust.

"Marluxia" Riku hissed "still alive I see" Drawing his key-blade, the sliver haired male initiated combat. Without further ado, Impa whipped her giant blade and joined in the fray. On seeing two people approach him, the nobody's pale pink lips widened to a grin.

Auru watched in horror as the mysterious man teleported next to Impa, he twirled the scythe and the blade edge came whooshing through the air aiming to take her head. The second knight managed to jump back and avoid it, but a fine line had already been carved on her throat by the tip of the sickle, the superficial wound dribbled a thin stream of blood.

She wiped it irritably.

Riku sprang forward and assaulted their enemy with a flurry of strikes, his attack was blocked with a multitude of petals and these petals were then disintegrated by a magic shot from Auru.

The three of them looked at each other and nodded.

Riku and Impa simultaneously rushed towards Marluxia, Riku stepped first and engaged him with a combination of jabs and thrusts whilst Impa passed the man in an arc and attempted to hit his undefended back. Raising her weapon high, she cleaved him in half.

His form burst into rose petals.

Sensing a presence behind him, Auru aimed his cannon and shot a swarm of cannonballs, the projectiles were either intercepted by flowers or they were cut down with the curved blade.

Riku gripped his key-blade and focused. This nobody was not someone to be trifled with. If he was alone, the battle would've gone much smoother; unfortunately he knew the proud second knight will not yield to his requests.

The nobody watched the three fighters and felt somewhat arrogant, he had survived the purge using sheer will and although he did not possess a proper body, this physical manifestation of his will-force was doing a superb job. Deciding to end this charade (since he was nearing his limits) he called forth a storm of flower petals, they will shred the trio into pieces so fine, it will be impossible to trace their existence.

An explosion of lethal flower fragments assaulted the knights' vision. A leaf brushed against Impa's hand and she saw blood spurting from it. Riku as well, several of the leaflets had stroked his face and left behind numerous deep gashes. Key-blade glowing he commanded a magnega to pull the petals off him and his friends. After they gathered in a swirling mass, he used a dark firaga to finish them off and turned his attention to the smirking nobody.

"Transcendence" he droned.

The pink haired man was surprised by the change of scenery, he was even more astonished by the way gravity seemed to defy in this space. Floating aimlessly, he saw the 'floor' of the space contract, warp and from it issued several heartless.

Heartless and unversed issued forth without stopping. He was brutally tossed around in the space, bumping against things, the pain gradually became agonizing and he saw stars before his eyes. Exhausted, Marluxia was exhausted. As the move finished he tumbled on the ground and glared at the people before him.

"I'll be back" he spat viciously as his body degenerated into pink petals.


	36. The worlds in between Part 3

A/N: And the search for Vans continues, will they find him? Read below to find out! On another note, sorry for the cheesy lines, my head is going through a roller coaster at the moment. Read on and review (or criticize).

Disclaimer: I'm honestly getting tired of saying this, I mean, you guys pretty much know that I'm a simple student trying to put together a decent story, anyway, let's do this: I do not own LOZ nor KH nor the new games that are coming out nor...anything!

* * *

The worlds in between: Part 3:

"Well, I suppose Vanitas is not here" Riku mused, the cuts on his face were beginning to heal.

"Who?" Impa questioned to the general confusion of both men.

"What am I doing here again?" she asked them, with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Right" Riku said urgently "let's get out" he started dragging the confounded knight out of the castle.

"Where do we search next?" he asked Auru as he vigorously tugged on Impa's hand, she was putting up a handsome resistance, of course, she wasn't the second knight for nothing.

"End of the World" Auru replied.

Nodding, Riku summoned a dark corridor, the eighth knight went through it first and the aquamarine eyed man was forced to carry Impa through it as she was threatening to draw her blade.

* * *

Zack and his company stared at the scenery before them and gaped; only Cloud looked disinterested.

"Is it supposed to be like that?" he queried dubiously "where did you bring us Sheikha?"

"Hollow…Bastion?" she seemed unsure "I've never been to this world myself and this is the only place I could warp to since I cannot open dark corridors"

Surrounding a twisted, mechanized castle was a huge waterfall…it would've made a picturesque view if the water in the falls were not running in reverse. While the knights gazed, the blonde swordsman spied a floating platform and jumped on it. Sensing his friend was not near him. The fifth knight spun around and observed the lone mercenary jumping from one floating ledge to another and nearing their destination.

"Troops, let's move out!" Zack bellowed and followed Cloud, hopping from one platform to the other till they reached the Castle gates. Once again the knights stared at the building, the heartless emblem, stamped on the middle of the structure seemed to overshadow everything else.

"It looks like a white castle has been warped and forcibly taken over by parasitic weaponized machinery yeah" stated Ashei as she scrutinized the structure. "See how the white turrets of the original palace are all twisted?"

"This place is a gathering ground for heartless and other shadow beasts" Cloud explained "you might find this Vanitas here" he said and began walking to the entrance leading to the underground water system.

"…Wherever we find the snotty brat yeah…you won't find him lurking in some underground water system" saying this she marched off and entered the castle.

In the foyer, they were given a grand welcome courtesy of hissing heartless. Sheikha materialized a giant throwing star and flung it, Zack and Cloud teamed up. Back to back they danced and sliced through countless monsters in an arc. Ashei too was powering up magic, as soon as Zack and his companion separated, she struck the floor with her black rapier and the entire foyer was encased in a thick layer of ice. It stopped the movements of the occupying beasts and prevented the formation of new ones. Breath misting, the band stepped over the glacial surface and climbed the steps and went into the next room, which turned out to be library. Here a bunch of powerful unversed and nobodies popped up and accompanying them with a large book was a barrier master. Huffing, Ashei formed numerous icicle spears in mid-air and hurled them at the monsters, but they only bounced off their protective barriers.

"We need to get rid of that librarian first" The wielder of the Buster sword twirled his blade and pointed it to the heartless.

Holding open a large tome, the blue heartless floated safely in an alcove, away from danger, unbeknownst to it, a shadow larger than itself pooled on the floor. Out of the ripples rose a masked warrior. Expertly flicking out a short blade, she plunged it neatly into the heartless and it dissipated with instantly. The rest of the circular barriers surrounding the other monsters went down and Cloud charged, drawing out two thin blades and combining them into one large one reminiscent of Zack's Buster sword. Locating the enemies nearest to him, he activated his Omnislash command. A bluish aura surrounded him as he attacked. The powerful and extremely quick slashes of his sword were punctuated with showers of multicolored light. As he finished, the rest of the team observed how the armored heartless vanished in a puff.

"How anti-dramatic" Ashei drawled "couldn't you save the move for something that actually needs it?"

Cloud regained his dignity by taking care of the rest of the shadow beasts in the room.

Next, the members wandered around the different areas fighting heartless non-stop.

"Cloud was not kidding when he said this place is filled with heartless" Zack griped as he returned his sword into its sheath. Scratching his hair spikes, the knight suddenly had a thought:

"Oh yeah! Why don't you join the Knights Cloud? We're short on a member since Vanitas went AWOL"

Behind him the two female knights glared, boring imaginary holes into his skull. In a brief moment, a flurry of emotions crossed the blonde's normally apathetic face till it settled back to being apathetic again.

"…No" came the answer and Sheikha let out a breath she did not know she was holding. Zack folded his arms behind his head and grinned.

"Knew you'd say no, not very big on working in groups huh?...Whatever let's check the next area for Vanitas, although I'm doubting if he is here. Our former third rank hates crowded places, whether they are people or heartless." The posse entered the lift from the lift stop and rode it all the way to the Castle chapel.

"This place must've been quite beautiful before it was corrupted" Sheikha voiced as they stood in the chapel. The area was constructed with a multitude of arches and alcoves, at the back, the corridor let into a circular area with a raised dais. Behind the dais, on the largest alcove was the heartless emblem. Ghostly green fire illuminated the chapel, creating a surreal contrast with the pale blue colors of the walls and floors. As the group advanced cautiously, a loud rip tore through the air and out walked a portly humanoid dog. The creature was puffing and wailing about something.

"He lets Maleficent die and now send me to stop these knights" the beast growled "who does he think he is?"

"Pete" a monotone voice rang out. "Let me take care of him" as soon as he said this, the monster turned around and grinned, showing sharp teeth.

"At least I won't have to look for them"

Cloud careered closer, moving at an impossible speed whilst Pete simply stood there. Once he came close enough, the creature sprang to the side and unleashed what looked like a temper tantrum to the observers. Face red in rage, he stomped about, flailing and waving his arms madly. A couple of loose explosions forced the blonde to side step quickly and he wove through Pete's unpredictable attacks with surprising ease, parrying any stray hits with his sword, until a loud bang echoed through the room and Cloud found himself immobilized. A shower of pretty sparks were thrown to the sky and his friends were too busy to notice his predicament because they were ogling the fireworks. The mercenary squirmed against his invisible bonds.

An exploding bowling ball smashed into Zack's face and brought him back to reality. He flew backwards and crumpled into a heap.

"Why…does this keep on happening to him" Sheikha asked and drew her sword, warping behind Pete, she attempted to strike him or at least inflict a painful slit, instead his powerful arm shot out and grabbed her by the neck. She was lifted off the ground and her body went limp.

Not fooled easily, Pete continued to strangle her for a few more minutes and let the muscles in his arm relax. The moment he did so, the ninja's form became rigid and she brought her hand down on Pete's arm. He howled and immediately let go, observing countless black needles digging into his forelimb. The lithe warrior spun around and after gaining momentum, she kicked him squarely in the gut, he sailed through the air, over Ashei's head and joined Zack at the back of the room. The vibration caused by his humongous body crashing into the floor managed to wake the spiky haired knight and he scooted away on seeing Pete's body heaving in a disturbing manner. Drawing out his Buster sword he took a fighting stance.

Cloud joined him.

Pete got up and wobbled on his squatty legs. To everyone's surprise, he drew out a sword.

"Betcha don't know I was a capable swordsman back in my days huh?" he sniggered and raised his weapon, a red and black blur stopped the downward slash of his sword. He gaped at it as it frosted over and reduced itself into sparkling white dust. Ashei ducked to avoid his swipe, then she jumped back and let Zack and Cloud finish him off while the beast bumbled around screaming curses and profanities.

"Cross slash" yelled Cloud and went for the kill, leaving an inert Zack behind, for his part, the knight held his Buster sword out and focused, his solemn eyes never leaving Pete's brutally assaulted body. As his friend drew away, his grip on the sword tightened as he jumped forward and shouted:

"Braver!"

The area was bathed in a blue light as Zack shot several feet in the air, screaming, he brought his heavy blade down and smote Pete in half, making a little crater on the floor in the process. The anthropomorphic dog vanished into a puff, twirling his sword, he put it back in his sheath and gave his team a thumbs up.

"So, was anyone impressed?" he beamed.

Both Sheikha and Ashei were, not that they will admit it in this life.

"Vanitas is not here yeah" Ashei sighed "and I'm pretty tired yeah…where next Zack?"

He scratched his hair before answering.

"How about Wonderland?" he said to the general scowls of his team.

"You think Vanitas likes tea-parties?" the masked knight hissed, she was feeling quite irritated with the situation.

"It's worth a try" smirked the brunette "you never know what dangers might lurk under a pretty face or a lively atmosphere…take you for example"

Sheikha created a warp hole and left first with Ashei and Cloud trailing behind her. The portal winked out of existence before Zack could set a foot inside.

"Guys…don't…WAIT GUYS. WAIT FOR ME!" His words were drowned out by the roaring of the rising falls.

Far, far away from an abandoned Zack and his unheard shrieks, Impa dusted off her cloak in an attempt to disguise her embarrassing behavior.

"Thank you" she intoned.

"No problem" Riku coolly stated "it happens to the majority of people who visits the castle. It was specifically designed to confuse any intruders."

Auru stared around the world. He was standing on a platform a little distance from a swirling vortex of darkness. In all the years of his life, he has never encountered such a barren, lifeless and desolate place. When he was given missions relating to other universes, he made it a point to bypass this one. The thick air choked him and imparted a feeling of despair.

"We have to get closer" Impa commanded and leapt from her ledge on to the main area. She was followed wordlessly. As they ventured deeper into the fog Auru commented:

"I feel like I'm swimming in a soup of darkness" his words seemed to reflect off the purplish black particles clogging the air.

Deep inside the black fog Impa paused and closed her eyes. Riku sensing what she was doing copied her movements and the ninth ranked knight knelt on the ground and hefted his steampunk cannon, ready to deal with any adversaries who dare show up. Of course he knew if someone strong made an appearance, he alone will not be able to deal with the enemy and he reassured himself that Vanitas would be found before Xehanort or someone equally ugly manufactures a presence.

* * *

His legs couldn't support his body weight any longer.

Vanitas crouched as far as the chains let him. Breath coming out in harsh rales.

He did not want to see the condition of his body, his sense of time had been distorted since entering the prison. Once glossy spikes now stuck to his head in wet, matted tangles. The adolescent shivered.

Blinking rapidly, he snuck a glance at his arm and stared. Yep, thin as matchsticks, his legs as well. It explains why his legs buckled every time he put his weight on it. He pulled against the chains with all his might and groaned.

Obviously nothing happened. Only the rattling of the thick bindings managed to make him slightly dizzy.

"A self healing, self binding, self catering prison" he murmured "how…awfully thoughtful of you Xehanort" he seethed as a pair of golden irises glinted spitefully.

"I'm surprised you still have the energy and strength to speak" the bald man countered. "Since I'm here, I'll let you know something interesting"

Vanitas waited with bated breath.

"Seems like your elder brother dispatched the Knights of Hyrule to search for you" Xehanort paced in front of the cage and the noble's eyes followed him, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. "Naturally this means your little brothers will also be in the search parties…" he trailed off ominously.

In the gloom, the brunette broke out in a cold sweat.

"If…that is a big IF your twin brothers do manage to make it here, I'll have a special surprise waiting for…Roxas was it? I'm sure he wants to meet some old…friends…" smirking widely the old master spun around and walked off with a single hand behind his back.

"GET BACK HERE YOU!" Vanitas screeched and fought against his shackles "come here so I can kill you…scared of me huh? It's why you locked me up in here right?" he coughed violently and retched. Swallowing thickly he continued to howl "COME HERE! Let me kill you!"

He breathed heavily; Xehanort was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Auru was panicking…if only a little.

Surrounding them were several Darksides, the elder knight could see right through the heart shaped holes in their chests. It gave him a partial view of the surroundings.

Not that there was much to see anyway.

Throwing a quick glance at his companions who were still meditating (or whatever) he shouldered the cannon and got up.

"Looks like work is on me" he muttered and began firing.


	37. The worlds in between Part 4

A/N: Much Thanks to Magyk-Foal1 for following my story (POWER) and this is the last of The worlds in between mini series (...well the next chapter does a a small bit in...quite negligible really). Read, review or criticize :)

And now for some shameless advertising: I started a Pokemon fanfic entitled Blaec Iustice (Black Justice) for those of you who are interested, please check it out. Hopefully I won't disappoint.

Disclaimer: No, I own nothing except this story and my shameless advertising space.

* * *

The worlds in between: Part 4

The sound of Auru's cannon shooting roused both Impa and Riku. On opening their eyes, they perceived a loose ring of Darksides around them. Impa drew her sword and charged into battle whilst Riku summoned Way to Dawn and stared at the pureblood heartless a little while before joining in the battle.

He clenched his jaw so hard, it hurt.

Having fought a much faster and powerful enemy in the previous world, it was much easier to deal with these slow moving and marginally less intelligent heartless'. A few shots of light magic and strikes from their weapons dispelled the gathering heartless.

Exhaling lightly, Impa sheathed her weapon.

"Where do you suggest we search next?" she turned to Riku who looked to be in deep contemplation.

"Hmm? Don't you have another place in mind?"

"No, I thought the probability of finding Vanitas in these two places were very high and I have not considered anywhere else." She replied.

The silver haired male sunk into thought. He stared at the ground like it contained the answer to life's mysteries.

Finally he answered:

"Twilight town…there is something I want to investigate there."

One dark corridor later:

The trio trooped out and found themselves in a back alley. As soon as the portal vanished, a group of children ran past them. They froze, as the youngsters passed without noticing them.

"That was close" Auru mumbled "couldn't you drop us off in a more secluded place?"

"Back alleys are usually deserted" Riku droned in reply.

He's got a point.

Twilight town, like its name, was bathed in the orange hues of never ending sunset. The three of them stepped into the crowded market place and jostled past the inhabitants of the world. Impa was feeling slightly irritated by her circumstances.

"Why are we here? It is clear Vanitas won't be in a place like this" she asked, masking her annoyance.

"We won't find Vanitas unless we know what is going on in the shadows" Riku sidestepped and continued at a fast pace "Why is there Hylian monsters in our dimension…and more importantly how is Marluxia still functional?"

"Xehanort and Ganondorf joined forces; it is hardly surprising to see the monsters of our world in yours because of this."

"I understand…what about the human nobodies? They are supposed to be non existent"

"…" at this question, Impa had no reply.

Riku guided them through the bustling, overly colorful town to a less noisy area, as they twisted this way and that, the second knight found herself going higher, she could see the roofs of most of the houses and shops littering the world. The trio carried on walking till they reached the station plaza. Without any explanation, the key-blader walked in through a set of doors and the knights followed him wordlessly. Impa suppressed a gasp as she stood on the clock tower and gazed at the hamlet below.

Beautiful.

Such a picturesque town harboring such deep, dark and twisted secrets, enthralled by the scenery she failed to notice another black cloaked individual sitting on the tower and eating pale blue ice-cream. The person had a far-away look in his eyes.

"Axel" Riku called cautiously.

And the person exploded.

"For the last TIME! It's Lea not Axel…what will it take you to start calling me by my name?" he huffed.

"We need your help" the aquamarine eyed man ignored his rant.

"First memorize my name, then we talk business" Lea glanced at Impa and Auru "and who is this, your friends?"

"They are Knights from Hyrule…including me, we are currently undertaking an undercover mission."

"Sounds like too much work" the red haired male quipped and continued with his ice-cream.

"Roxas' older brother, Vanitas is missing."

As if electrified, his whole body became rigid. Lea tried to school his facial expressions to non-caring, but everyone knew how much Roxas meant to him. Stupid Riku, he said those words simply to evoke this reaction.

"Let me finish my ice-cream first" He sighed.

* * *

"I fail to see the problem, he ran away from his own accord didn't he?" Lea queried with a puzzled expression.

"We are not only talking about Vanitas' disappearance, I want to know why are the defeated Nobodies are making a reappearance" Riku insisted, the former nobody looked bored; he was slouching amiably with his hands folded behind his head.

"And I should know the answer to that because…?"

"You are investigating them" came Riku's cold reply.

Lea gave up, there is no winning with this person, he decided. He got up and stretched, thoroughly enjoying the slight twitching of Riku's muscles due to impatience. The moment he turned his face to offer a proposition, a large blue spiked claymore sailed through the air from a distance and struck the place before him. Everyone jumped up and followed the trajectory of the weapon. A hooded figure with a black cloak was standing on the air in front of them.

"Saix" hissed Lea and in a flurry of flames, materialized his key-blade.

* * *

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" screeched an unpleasant voice.

How did this happen? Wondered Zack. How was he, the fifth ranked knight stuck in a bird cage with his hands behind his back and squashed against Cloud?

A few hours earlier:

The spiky haired male forlornly watched the rising falls. Every few moments he would hear some imaginary noise and jump up, thinking Sheikha had finally relented and opened up a portal for him, alas, it was simply his imagination. Seriously how could the ninja be so cruel?

…What if something happened to her?

He scratched his hair spikes and sat down feeling a bit miserable.

Right as his butt touched the floor a black hole opened up and out stepped Cloud, Zack momentarily stared at him.

"Is Sheikha and Ashei alright?" he immediately sprang up and queried, concern lacing his voice.

"We split up" Cloud answered in a monotone. "They are currently investigating the world as we speak. Come on, we need to get there as soon as possible."

Right as they stepped in Wonderland, the duo were surrounded by a group of red card soldiers holding spears, before he could even process what was happening, both he and Cloud were trussed up and were now dangling in an ornate birdcage.

A birdcage.

At least the unorthodox prison was roomy enough for the both of them.

The blond squirmed against his bindings and peered through the bars. While waiting, the Queen of hearts had conveniently entered the court and now a trial was in session.

A very, very unfair trial.

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" the woman screeched and Zack cringed from the loud volume.

"Your majesty…" stammered a soldier "there are two intruders, whose head do you…?"

She glanced at the tower where her two prisoners were held and after contemplating she decreed:

"The black haired one, leave the blonde he will make a good body guard…SINCE ALL OF YOU ARE INCOMPETENT!" Banging her fist on the table, the trial came to a close and Zack began sweating.

"How are _you_ so calm?" he hissed, his hands were bound behind his back and it was impossible to draw his Buster sword in this small space. The same could be said for the melancholic person next to him, however Cloud merely kept on peering through the gaps in between the bars as if he was waiting for someone to rescue him.

Highly unlikely.

With a jolt, the crank tower began lowering them; tension was thick in the air. Zack decided that as soon as they opened the cage, he'd break his bonds and draw his blade. Then, get rid of these pests and rendezvous with Sheikha and Ashei.

Once the cage touched the ground, a card soldier hefted its spear and spun it around, using the pommel of its weapon, he slammed it into Zack's solar plexus. His mouth opened reflexively but he couldn't utter a sound. Head lolling to the side, he passed out with eyes wide open.

When he came to, he was laying on his abdomen on something hard, like a wooden plank, his head was secured in a circular board that prevented any movement, he didn't have to be a philosopher to know there was a giant blade hanging above his head. He was placed on a guillotine. And from the looks of things, his best friend was the executioner.

"Now would be a nice time to save me…" Zack croaked, fear of the situation turned his throat into sandpaper.

Cloud merely stared at him with blue eyes, as if he was unable to comprehend what was going on. He mechanically strode to the side of the beheading contraption, a feeble card soldier was holding on the thick rope suspending the blade. The paper thin humanoid was quivering with effort. Drawing his Fusion sword he slashed at the rope.

He

Slashed

The rope.

Zack nearly fainted again, in the instant he heard the angled blade career to his doom, a bright flash obscured his vision and he heard the sound of shattering metal, the plank his body rested on was broken and he fell, unfortunately his head was still stuck in the board. The grunts of the Queen's soldiers rang out in the air and dust obscured his vision.

…

Sheikha was livid.

Cloud's personality was a difficult one to work with. When she left Zack in Hollow Bastion, he had refused to co-operate.

So they went their separate ways.

It's not like she will leave him there for eternity, she was simply trying to convey the seriousness of their mission. Seriously, Zack was too playful and if his friend wanted to go his own way, then so be it.

The two knights investigated Wonderland. The lotus forest provided many interesting things to look at, such as heartless spewing flowers, trees with doors in them leading to different areas. Fruits, when eaten, can turn the consumer tiny or big and some of them even gave her back the energy she expended in previous worlds. Head feeling much lighter, Sheikha continued through the forest with the seventh ranked knight behind her. She had already lost track of where she was going, finding a pathway to one side, she entered the next area hoping to find someone who could give them information about Vanitas.

If he was in this bizarre world.

Marching into another area, they paused and stared. There was a little cobblestoned path leading to a large rectangular table reminiscent of the Knight's table back home. As the path reached the table, it forked into two. On the left side of the small area was a homely log cabin and seated by the prettily decorated table were a couple of the world's strange inhabitants whom were beckoning them for tea. Ashei strode past and after offering a deadpan smile, sat down on one of the unoccupied chairs. Sheikha, being more wary, numbly followed a few minutes later.

"So let's get down to business yeah" the female knight brusquely started a conversation "has anyone of you seen a black, spiky haired knight? He looks a bit like…like…Sora…No, he looks exactly like Sora yeah."

Looks exactly like Sora, perhaps this would be the most accurate way to describe Vanitas.

A man sitting at the opposite head of the table spoke up, he wore a top hat and his frizzled hair was combed away from his face.

"Before I answer your question, answer one of mine" the man smiled in a disturbing way "why is a raven like a writing desk?"

A soft exhale drew the female knights' attention to a young girl clothed in a blue and white dress.

"We don't know" came her reply.

Silence

"I too, haven't the slightest idea Alice!" the man exclaimed and laughed raucously.

Ashei gripped her sword subconsciously. Opposite her, there was a rabbit (or a hare) trying to drown a small mouse in a teapot. She looked at the teacup placed in front of her; it was brimming with steaming hot liquid. Feeling her thirst vanish, she decided to ask the young girl, Alice instead.

"Oh dear, oh dear" floated a voice and as soon as she heard this, the girl named Alice jumped up from her seat and ran towards the disembodied voice, Ashei, sensing the only sane occupant in this world was leaving, hurtled after hear, upturning her chair in the process. Seeing the urgency of her actions, Sheikha too, bolted.

The trio was running after a waistcoat wearing white rabbit, said rabbit kept on muttering whilst checking a pocket watch and bounding at an alarming speed. Upon nearing the Queen's court, Sheikha glimpse Zack and Cloud from a distance and pulled her companion roughly to one side. Alice and the white rabbit disappeared into the court.

"What are you doing yeah?" Ashei gritted "I was about to get her"

"Look" Sheikha pointed to the dangling birdcage. "I can see our friends locked up in there."

The spunky female's spunk dissipated.

"Does this mean we have to rescue them yeah? Really, these idiots are so useless yeah!"

"OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" the din pierced their ears.

"Is she supposed to be the Queen yeah?...I'm _so_ glad we have Princess Zelda, thank the goddesses yeah"

Sheikha kept a strict vigil on the trapped pair, the Queen of hearts had just ended the trial and ordered Zack to beheaded, she watched from behind the hedges as the lady left the court and the card soldiers scurried around, bringing in a guillotine and strapping the unconscious brunette on it thoroughly, Cloud merely paced around as if he was in charge of the execution.

"What is the moron doing yeah" Ashei spat eyeing the blonde.

"He knows we are here, probably trying to create a distraction so we can help Zack" Sheikha mused.

"I'm sure he alone can take care of those flimsy cards yeah."

In response, the masked warrior pointed out to the obviously strained card pawn who was holding the fifth knight's fate in his twiggy arms. The duo saw Cloud striding up and slashing the rope. Sheikha had brought out a harp and strummed a little tune, time froze. She and Ashei burst from their cover and began their rescue mission.

A while later:

"Thanks" Zack smiled sheepishly and squatted "sorry for acting so childish…guess we have to return to Hyrule now."

Cloud watched forlornly as his smiling friend left through the warp hole. His limbs felt as if all the energy drained out.

"Goodbye Zack"

* * *

The scar on the blue-haired nobody's face seemed larger and more ragged. Lea who was not adept with using his key-blade had switched to his chakrams, Eternal flame, disks of fire whizzed past his former friend. Saix's movements were unnatural, his body twitched in a strange rhythm and instead of using the vast range of attacks he was capable of, the nobody only threw his gigantic weapon at Lea. Impa, Auru and Riku were forced to watch as they have been warned by the red head not to interfere.

"Had enough yet?" Axel wheezed, why was Saix not tired?

The blue haired man did not reply, raising his Claymore high in the sky, he flung it.

And then dissolved.

Lea and the little audience behind him watched in shock.

"What happened" Riku enquired without missing a beat.

"He dissolved as you saw…happens most of the time" Axel briefly scratched his head and looked around; he was avoiding the silver haired male's questioning gaze.

"I. want. to. Know. Why they are reappearing." Riku stepped closer; you can't keep this information secret from his majesty.

"…"

"Fine." Lea sighed "Basically Xehanort is trying to re-amass the nobodies once more since they were a formidable fighting force, but since their creation is extremely difficult now that the King and the key-blade wielders have a firm grip on these worlds, Xehanort is required to use other methods. Only those who possessed a powerful will when they were still nobodies can manifest a tangible body, however not all of them can operate on the same level or…go completely back to the way they were."

"I see, time constraints for Marluxia and incomprehension for Saix…I noted he did not speak" Riku pointed out.

"Yeah, he can't speak or think straight...though whatever I told you is just my theory."

"A sound theory." Riku got up "thank you for your information," turning to Impa he continued "I'll go with you to Hyrule, I want to relay this information to Sora myself.

* * *

A dark corridor opened up in the world that never was, stepping out of it into the expansive Dark city were Roxas, Ventus, Aqua and a sacred wolf.

Link surveyed the surroundings; the universe was dreary to say at least, most of the structures were either black and beyond the towering skyscrapers lay a white floating fortress. A sense foreboding settled within the sacred beast. Sniffing the air he could trace a subtle scent. Something familiar.

Very familiar.

Roxas was trembling, why he came to this realm, he didn't know. It was a place associated with bad memories and pain.

'I'll just confirm big brother is not here and leave' he resolved.

Behind them, dark shapes began to form, two cloaked figures and a whole army of lesser nobodies.


	38. Chapter 34: Save me, save me

A/N: See people, I kept my promise...somewhat :) Anyway, please read, review and enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: No, I own nothing

* * *

Chapter 34: Save me, save me

Link's ears pricked and picked up an indiscernible noise, all of a sudden he felt as if someone had put on a leash around his neck and was tightening it, whipping around, he leapt to the side and narrowly avoided one of Xaldin's spears. The nobody had his weaponries floating around him in a menacing manner, although Link couldn't deny there was certain elegance to the way he battled.

The remaining knights had also sensed danger and now stood armed and poised for battle, Larxene sniggered at Roxas' single key-blade, the boy was gripping it with both hands and his face shone with sweat. Obviously wielding the dark blade by itself was giving him a hard time. Ventus and Aqua stepped up in front of him.

"Leave this to us" Ven smiled, holding up Wayward wind "Aqua and I can take care of them."

"…What about Link?" the elder twin inclined his head where the beast and Xaldin were having a staring match.

"…He-he'll manage" Aqua and Ven stuttered together.

As soon as they said that, Roxas noted how the Hylian jumped, his powerful haunches propelling him further than possible, he threw Xaldin to the ground and growled in his face, with fascinated horror, the blonde watched how the blue-gray wolf opened his jaws and targeted the nobody's throat. Before the third ranked nobody could have his life cut brutally short, a glowing spear flew out of nowhere and pierced Link through his chest. Link howled and staggered off the nobody's chest, his jaw was dripping blood.

With the knights' attention on their animal friend, Larxene cackled and teleported to Ven, he noticed her appearance a bit too late and was sent soaring through the air by a well-placed kick, not one to give up, he flung his aero coated blade, it whizzed, missed its target and came back to its owner who was lying flat on the ground visualizing imaginary stars.

"Barrier" countered Aqua as lightning came down; it struck the circular shield and dissipated, hissing ominously. As soon as the barrier broke, Aqua yelled Blade Charge and her entire form was cloaked with an aura, her key-blade morphed into a giant blade and she swung it at the savage nymph from a distance. Equipping her Foudre, Larxene dodged Aqua's attack and teleported close to her, initiating close combat. She struck with her concealed knives, forcing the knight to defend. Jumping back, the blue haired female created some space and begun twirling her giant blade above her head. With a disturbing grin, the blonde nobody warped behind Aqua and sunk the short knives in her back, moving away she called on lightning.

With no way of blocking such an attack, Aqua endured the full brunt, as the sparks died down she collapsed on one knee. Her body had paralyzed and she was unable to move, much less fight.

Seeing her adversary in such a sorry state, Larxene started laughing maniacally, a breeze began to blow in the vicinity, slowly it picked up force and morphed into a gale, then into a tempest. The source of the winds was a recently awakened Ven, who had opened his eyes to Aqua getting electrified. Activating his Cyclone command style, he threw the surroundings at the mercy of his hurricane; even Xaldin's weapons were being affected as the hovering spears were whisked away. The boy summoned a tornado and instead of running away from it, Larxene cried in delight and plunged herself in the eye of the storm. Everyone saw her grey silhouette distort and eventually tear apart. As the area stilled, Ventus sat down, huffing with effort.

Xaldin let go of his remaining spears. The air surrounding him shimmered and fuzzed and to Roxas' utmost disbelief, Dragoons started appearing in shadowy puffs.

One, two, a hundred…a thousand.

As the numbers increased, the third nobody's form disintegrated. Roxas swallowed and bellowed:

"Right everybody…RUN!"

Link did not like the metallic taste of blood on his lips; unfortunately his mouth was filling up with blood due to internal organ damage. The wound was closing up but slowly. They were running to an area underneath the floating castle and as the elder twin neared the Brink of despair, he doubled over and wheezed, Aqua picked him up without breaking her stride and carried him in one arm.

"Are you okay Roxas?" she panted.

"Go…the other way…my chest…throat feels like its closing up" he gasped, pressing down on his sternum.

Alas, there was no other place to go, she continued on straight into the open space and whirled around to face the onslaught of Dragoons pursuing them. Depositing the gagging Roxas gently behind her she braced herself with Link and Ven on her sides.

The elder twin gave off an ear-splitting scream. It was so loud that Vanitas, high above, was able to hear the animalistic screech. The dark haired noble pulled on his chains desperately and shouted with all the strength he could muster:

"Let go of him…please…he's my brother. LET GO OF ROXAS!" The rattling of his bindings emphasized his words.

Ventus stared at his twin with fear. The noble had mechanically stood up and his clothes had morphed into a long black hooded coat, like those enemies they were fighting earlier. In a gloved hand rested Oblivion; his face sported a disgusted, loathing expression.

Hate.

Hate.

The air around him hummed, and to the astonishment to those watching him, he too materialized lower nobodies.

Samurai nobodies.

One…three…two hundred…a thousand. The numbers increased to match Xaldin's Dragoons.

The Hylian opened his muzzle to say something, completely forgetting his beast state, as he did so, something familiar assaulted his taste buds.

Very familiar.

Facing the floating fortress, he yowled and Ven jumped. The key-blader's eyes flitted between Link and the fortress and the gears in his brain turned.

"Vanitas…BIG BROTHER VANITAS IS UP THERE!" he pointed and gleefully exclaimed. However his elation was cut short when Roxas' monotone commanded them to return to Hyrule without him.

"No!" Ventus stated firmly "Finish what you wanted to do and we go back together."

Roxas quivered. For a moment, he thought he was looking at Sora.

* * *

It was a grand feat courtesy of the twins to be able to open a dark corridor all the way to Hyrule. With beaming smiles they touched down before the familiar doors of the castle. Wolf Link had begun to transform back into a human and once he did so, he sat on the ground citing that he was a bit disorientated because this was the longest amount of time he was forced to remain in his sacred beast state. Standing up, the third knight brushed his tunic, secured his hat and followed his friends into the castle and all the way to the knights' chamber.

They entered during a meeting; the rest of the Master Knights had arrived before them. The Hylian noted a silver haired man sitting at the end of the table, on the spot reserved for the tenth rank.

Did Master Sora choose a new knight already?

Seating himself, Link observed the leader appearing a bit pale. He kept on running his hands through his hair and fidgeting slightly on his gold gilded chair. It wasn't weird for him to be flustered; after all, his brother was missing.

"We didn't find him in Wonderland nor in Olympus Coliseum. We searched Hollow Bastion thoroughly, unfortunately Sire, Vanitas was nowhere to be found." Zack reported in a formal manner.

"Impa" Sora sighed "make it quick…did you find him?"

"YES!" chorused the duo before she could answer.

The first knight was so surprised; he actually leapt up from his seat.

"Where?"

"He is in the Castle that never was" Roxas replied "and Roxas defeated a thousand nobodies" Ven added proudly.

Sadly, Ven's words fell on deaf ears.

"Sheikha, Riku and Impa, come with me to get Vanitas" Sora commanded "the rest of you…guard princess Zelda."

"Wait…WHAT? You are just going to leave us here?" Zack exclaimed "we want to come as well!"

"Che…ungrateful nobles yeah" Ashei huffed and crossed her arms.

The summoned knights and the silver haired male got up. Link noticed a pained look crossing his leader's face as he opened a dark corridor and passed through it.

"…"

"We went a bit overboard no?" Auru's voice shattered the silence "He knows we are all tired, we investigated three worlds non-stop and moreover we would all volunteer to come with him, therefore he forced us to stay here…Hmm, how characteristic of Master Sora."

"I know…I know, still, he didn't have to…ugh whatever, just call me when something happens." Zack closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Link felt the angry mood mellow out. He prayed to the three goddesses for the safe return of the knights and Vanitas. Once he comes back, the knights will return to normal. Everything will return to normal.

Or not.

* * *

Exiting the dark corridor, Sora and company walked around the futuristic hallways of the Castle that never was, he halted before a giant door.

"Sheikha, find Vanitas…wherever he is and bring him here at all costs. Use any means necessary. Maim him, knock him unconscious, beat him to an inch of his life, I do not care. Just bring him to me."

The masked ninja was slightly perturbed by her leader's explicit instructions; nevertheless she complied, dissolving into a stream of darkness. Using her harp, she quickly warped to different locations and scoped the general area; however, there was one room which drew attention. She could pick up traces of Ganondorf's and some other person's darkness.

Probably Vanitas, she mused.

Facing Ganondorf alone was suicide, deciding to simply knock Vanitas out with a well aimed strike, or a cocktail of drugs, she teleported into the room.

Inside his gloomy cell, Vanitas let red tinged tears slide down his face. A weird distortion in his prison prompted him to look sideways and as he did so, he almost yelled in shock. A slim hand clamped down over his mouth and muffled his voice.

"Sh. It's just me" the warrior was bewildered "…and…are…you imprisoned?"

"No, I'm receiving five-star luxury treatment from my new boss…What does it freaking look like?" he spat sarcastically.

Well, at least Vanitas was still Vanitas. She gave him a quick once over:

His face was shining with something red and his entire body, he looked like a skeleton.

Scrawny.

He looked like a starved child.

"Stop staring and cut these stupid chains" the presence of someone familiar and the hope of seeing his big brother gave him energy "I have a score to settle."

"And what are you going to do with _your_ body in such a state? Master Sora implored your safe return _at any cost_."

The adolescent's heart soared.

Sheikha pulled out her short knives and slashed the metal cuffs around Vanitas' wrists, having being bound and supported by them for so long; he suddenly lost balance and lurched forward. The female knight caught him and was horrified by how his rib splintered by a mere touch. Taking a deep breath, the stubborn noble shoved her off and dangerously stumbled to the bars of his cage, porcelain stick legs barely holding his weight. Gripping the bars, he stuck his head out and squawked to the occupant on the far side of the room:

"Come here so I can kill you" he rasped loudly, Ganondorf did not even spare him a glance.

The Gerudo failed to see Vanitas was set free.

On Sora's side, he, Riku and Impa wandered through the castle. It was surprisingly devoid of dark creatures. Using an elevator, he passed through the Hall of empty Melodies. The first knight briefly recalled how he had to fight a human nobody whilst protecting Roxas. Pushing on, the trio was about to enter Naught's skyway when the sixth ranked knight appeared before them carrying on her back what seemed like a spindly ghost. The thing slid off and crumpled to the ground with a disgruntled snort.

Upon closer inspection, Sora's heart stopped. The 'thing' was Vanitas. He could not stand up and as pitiful as it was, he crawled away from the group.

Crawling, his prideful brother was slinking along the floor.

"Van…itas…?" He went closer and crouched low. The person in question raised his head and the prince was met with a pair of golden irises. There was no fight left in them. Reaching out his arms, he attempted to pick his sibling up, instead Vanitas spoke:

"Don't…my ribs are shattering like glass" a hoarse voice scratched the knights' ears "curaga nor potions helped."

The leader's hands curled helplessly into fists.

"We are getting out of here…after that, I'll take you home okay Vans? Big brother is going to keep you safe."

He was talking in a manner used to talk to young children, although Vanitas did not mind. Once again his brown haired brother stretched out his arms and encircled him, with utmost care he was about to lift Vanitas off the ground when two new individuals made their presence known.

Xehanort and Ganondorf, at the sight of the personification of power, Vanitas passed out. His head cracked on the floor.

Getting up, the wielder of Kingdom key turned, he was surprised to see Xehanort with only one arm. The last time they saw each other, he was positive the Dark master had two limbs…Understanding dawned on him.

"Vanitas cut off your arm didn't he?" he quizzed.

The bald man's smirk melted into a furious frown, summoning his key-blade he attempted to blindly rush to Sora but was intercepted by Riku. Impa pointed the tip of her sword at Ganondorf who stood there without concern.

"I'm going to distract these two" Sora announced, eyes glaring in determination "Sheikha, open a portal and get Vanitas out first. Impa follow her. Riku, drag me out when they are safe." At his commands, his friends nodded.

Alright then.

" _Cannot accept the fact that you, who is lauded as a creature of light harbors darkness of this intensity"_ Zelda's words echoed in his mind.

The first knight's form began to smoke, his skin and clothes turned a pitch black, his eyes glowed yellow and streams of darkness evaporated from his body.

Anti-form. The ninja had never seen this supposedly dark drive of Master Sora's, although she heard numerous rumors of it.

The humanoid shadow emitted a high pitched squeak, with blinding speed it zipped around the room, squeaking, twice it fluttered past Xehanort, scratching his face along the way. Ganondorf tried to smack it and it imparted a vicious bite on his hand. The creature was feral; it ran on all fours and gnashed its teeth. Xehanort's eyes followed it around the room as he desperately aimed to attack it. A few orbs of darkness were fired, however, the shadow bounded through the dark spheres and nimbly leapt onto his back. Sharp claws dug into his neck and the bald man hissed in pain and anger.

The Gerudo chief did nothing to help.

Remembering her mission, Sheikha opened a portal and gathered Vanitas in her arms, signaling Impa, she went through. The silver haired female called out to Riku and made her way into the warp hole. The key-blader waited till Sora performed a back-flip and seizing the dark creature's hand, proceeded to drag the snarling shadow back to Hyrule with him. To Riku's surprise they had ended up in the throne room were Princess Zelda waited.

"Who…?" she trailed off eyeing the prince in anti-form.

"Sora" the little group minus Vanitas chirped.

* * *

"You are worried about his disciplinary hearing" The princess' lilting tone shook him out of his contemplations.

"Yep…several bones cracked, he can't speak properly and sometimes I have to help him breathe. At night he screams and thrashes around…healing magic does not help him. I didn't question him about his actions and every time I have to leave the room Vans keeps on clinging to me. I don't know if his mind was affected as well." The leader of the Master Knights rattled off in one breath.

"If it puts you mind at ease…I'll do everything in my power to cancel his hearing." Zelda continued.

"He will not be reinstated as a knight" Sora mumbled "even if he can justify his actions."

"Vanitas did this for you, can you not comprehend that?" she asked.

"The problem lies there!" his voice became loud "I did not want him to go and do whatever he pleases! You, should understand this the most."

"Sometimes…I feel it is best to act on feelings rather rational thought. I admired you because of this. And take Link, 'courage' is an emotion, yet he triumphs over power every single time. Feelings are more potent than reason. At times it can make us irrational, but ultimately it's what makes us human." She smiled at him modestly.

Somewhere, deep inside his ribcage, his heart did a somersault.

"Fine…I'll seek a temporary knight…does that make you happy?"

"Yes" came her soft reply.


	39. Chapter 35: Temporary tenth knight

A/N: Much thanks to Gonzdanez for following my story (POWER) it made my day a lot brighter :) Also, I present to you the latest chapter of this story. Please read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I owneth nothing, not KH nor LOZ. By the way, the new game is so cool. It's a pity I won't ever be able to play it *Sigh*

* * *

Chapter 35: Temporary tenth knight.

It was a bright morning. Sora clambered out of bed and stared at himself in the mirror. He had dark shadows underneath his eyes. Reaching out, he grabbed his toothbrush and started brushing in a vigorous manner, however as soon as he started; a loud screech had him bolting towards Vanitas' room.

His younger brother had fallen off the bed, twig legs tangled in red sheets. Half of his body was on the floor and the other half, twisted to an unsightly angle, was still on the bed.

"I think I snapped my waist" Vanitas stated calmly, he showed no visible signs of pain, rather it seemed he was happy about the situation "pick me up" he added, lifting up spindly arms.

The first born meekly carried out his orders, fixing the black haired adolescent back in bed. He arranged the covers comfortably around Vanitas, crossed the room and threw the curtains aside letting sunlight flood the room.

"Don't move" Sora spoke through a mouthful of toothpaste foam "I'll return with breakfast…is your head okay?"

The second born gingerly felt his head and gave a thumbs up.

An hour later, Roxas, Ventus and Sora bounced into the room with breakfast. The first knight hoped Vanitas could feed himself today, so far no such luck. As it stands, he had to cut short meetings and castle summons simply so he could feed Vanitas in time. Once he implored and dragged an unwilling Zelda to take care of his sibling, Zelda had daintily held up a spoon to Van's mouth and he hissed something incomprehensible, she froze, set the spoon back on the tray and elegantly retreated to the far corner of the room.

Today, things were looking a bit better. Roxas and Ven were chattering away and their second eldest brother enthusiastically nodded at their words. Feeling a bit happier, the prince passed a bowl, praying Vanitas accept it instead of demanding to be fed, thankfully he accepted the bowl and with shaking arms, he ate all the food up by himself.

"Thanks…for the food." He rasped and smiled genuinely, the first in a very long time.

"Tired, I want to sleep." Came his whispery announcement and Sora herded his baby brothers out.

"Big brother…" hearing his call, he turned around and walked towards Vanitas' bed.

"Yes…wanna tell me something?" cue a sunny grin.

"I'm not going to be a knight again am I?"

It felt like someone upended a bucket of icy water on his head.

"…Am I gonna stay like this forever? Questions in a hoarse voice kept on coming

Although Vanitas was reduced to a former shadow of himself, he was not dumb. By now, he was pretty sure the knights had found out about his massacre of the Hidden village. It was totally understandable if he was sacked from the Master Knights, however, he held on to a single thread of hope that Sora would relent and at least give him a place once he recovered.

If he ever recovered. Hyrule's elite sages were unable to discern his condition and day by day, he felt like he was getting worse.

"I want to be like you…I guess if I'm wielding darkness…then I'm useless…huh?...Maybe I should've listened to you and stopped summoning key-blades…then…"

A gentle pressure on his bony shoulders stopped his negative ramblings; he looked up to Sora's bright blue irises.

"I'll take you to Riku as soon as you are better. I can't say for sure whether you will return as a knight or not…I am not pleased with your actions Vans…Riku is a master at darkness, he will teach you how to unlock your full potential. Don't suppress it anymore, learn to control it and keep it under your care. If you show me this resolve…Zelda will reconsider."

"…Get your face away from me, its radiating heat…"

"Jeez, I just said something nice and this is the gratitude I get" Sora pouted "anyway, take care of yourself Vans, I'll be back soon." The first knight squeezed his shoulders and left. A breeze swayed the curtains rhythmically.

Vans huh…there was a time he'd explode if his elder brother called him by this name, now, he won't settle for anything more or less.

* * *

It was a late summoning.

Normally the knights were impartial to their daily summons from their leader, some moaned and others groaned. However, since the news of Vanitas' rescue has been relayed, the Master Knights were promptly given a vacation until further notice.

They were being awarded quite the holidays, mused Link.

He whispered the incantation and entered the chamber, as usual only Sora, Impa and the princess was sitting in the room.

No wait, the princess being here is definitely unusual. Bowing respectfully, he went and sat on his seat. This gathering was much anticipated, hopefully he will see Vanitas again, obnoxious as the noble was, Link missed him. Time ticked and the rest of the knights filled the chamber and sat without the customary complaints. Even Ashei kept quiet.

"News yeah, spill it!" the spunky knight ordered.

Scratch the quiet part, she was still the same.

"I want all of you to recommend a new tenth knight as soon as poss-"

"Where is Vanitas yeah?!" Ashei cut in, dark irises flashing with uncharacteristic rage.

The leader ignored her.

"-ible. It is a temporary position till Vanitas recovers."

"Recover…"

"Was he hurt?"

"Not sure, I thought he teamed up with Ganondorf, Sheikha refused to tell me anything"

Mutterings rose through the room and Sora waited till they died down. Sensing a chance, Link stood up.

"Sir…would you tell us what happened to him?"

"Princess Zelda is going to explain" came the reply.

All attention focused on the beautiful woman seated at the end of the table.

"To be frank…Vanitas is suffering from being exposed to darkness he is not compatible with" Zelda's words washed over the crowd "In our universes, there are different types of darkness, pure, tainted and divine. Pure is darkness at its natural form, when it is not used to corrupt and solely wielded due to a person's constitution. Tainted, as the word suggests, is the form used to corrupt and for evil purposes. Shadows, heartless, shadow beasts are all by products of this category of darkness and are due to someone's meddling. Finally Divine darkness is what Ganondorf is blessed with."

"Blessed?...Hmm" Auru hummed.

"Yes, he was gifted with the triforce of power, his own arrogance transformed it into dark energy and yet our goddesses do not go against it. This particular class of darkness was approved by our goddesses; hence I termed it as divine. Vanitas is a being of pure darkness who was teetering on the edge of corruption. He had his own agenda for defecting; unfortunately he ended up as an experiment for Xehanort. The Dark master himself is not affected by Ganondorf's presence because all in all, they are both corrupted." The princess explained.

"So you are saying…what?" Zack scratched his cheek and put on a sheepish grin, two seats away, Link wanted to do the same.

"Divine darkness and pure darkness cannot mix, to be fair, divine darkness should not exist in the first place. Its existence is attributed to Ganondorf; if he is removed, then this category of darkness will not be around anymore. It's simply a warped version of the power he is granted." Impa stated "Then if this was the case, why is Riku not affected?"

"Don't get me started on him" Sora almost whined "he…did some pretty bad things"

"It affected me as well…my chest felt like it was about to explode" Roxas spoke up "and I was underneath the castle…Vanitas, who knows what he went through?"

"Sire, is he okay?" Despite all the explanations, Link still had no idea what was going on, his only concern was if his friend was well.

"At the moment he can't move properly, he looks like a living skeleton to be precise. And his bones are extremely fragile, this morning he tried to get out of bed and he fell, snapping his waist in the process. At least his chest isn't making the horrible rattling sound anymore."

"May…we visit?" The Hylian proceeded with caution, he sensed his leader tensing.

"…Only for one day and together. Peasants are not allowed in my mansion."

* * *

There was no heat in his glower, Link noted. His handsome face was pale and hippocratic and his eyes had lost the mischievous glint. Compared to him, the third knight would definitely agree that Roxas' glare surpassed the current Vanitas'.

"Nice…if you guys are so concerned…get someone to make a wax…sculpture of me…then put it in…the knights'…chambers so all of you…can ogle at…it."

Still sarcastic, at least his mind is not affected. The words coming out of his mouth sounded like it caused him a lot of pain. Broken, everything about him seemed broken.

Shattered.

Fragile.

"How long till you get back on your feet?" Aqua probed. Following Sora's permission, most of the knights had bolted out of the chamber and made a bee line for his mansion. Upon entering they all surged towards the second born's room. As they trooped in, a hissing noise emanated from him, turns out, he was trying to greet and shout at them to stay away. One by one the knights froze once they laid eyes on him; a single thought ran through their minds:

Pathetic. No other word would fit him better and any bitter emotions held against him simply melted away.

"I don't know" he replied, eyes flickering to Link and the others "I'm really tired though…please get out of my room."

Link was the last person to leave, as he shut the door an unmistakably hoarse "Thank you" floated to his ears.

A few days later, Zack had gone back to Olympus Coliseum to try and recruit Cloud as a temporary member. He had confidently swaggered to the arena where his blonde friend was in charge of training new 'heroes' as Phil dubbed it. Seeing the mercenary busy, the fifth knight sat on the raised platforms and watched for a while, the sun climbed higher in the sky, reached the peak and slowly made its way down, during this time, Zack's earlier confidence simmered down and as Cloud made his way towards him, apprehension knotted his stomach.

'What if he says no and gets angry?'

"Zack" the knight candidate greeted with a small smile "it's rare for you to visit this often, did something happen? Was Sora's brother found?"

'Was Cloud concerned? Heh, time to use this opportunity then!'

Scratching his head, Zack began:

"Well yeah, Vanitas has been found, unfortunately he is in a really bad condition. He can't speak and yesterday he almost had a heart attack or something…(totally not true but whatever)…right now, Master Sora has to run around him all the time since Vanitas can't even feed himself properly, much less go to the toilet and bathe, anyway, Hyrule keeps on being plagued by monsters and with our leader half dead on his feet, our morale is pretty down. Plus due to Vanitas being on extended sick leave for who knows how long, we are short a knight...wait! Let me finish!" he held up a hand to stop Cloud from speaking "Like I was saying, we need a strong fighter to fill in this gap…its only temporary. Please Cloud? And while we are at it, lend me your G-bike, everyone has these cool transportation systems and I'm the only one without back-up. Seriously even Link, his horse is such a beauty!"

The blonde mercenary did not know how to respond to Zack's convoluted speech.

"Temporary, you are not tricking me are you?"

"NO! Why would I do that to you?"

"Okay good…though if this is a trap, I'll just inform Aerith" Cloud smirked on observing Zack falter.

"So it's a Yes?"

"Yes"

The brunette's loud cheer echoed around the empty space.

Wasting no time, Zack dragged Cloud with him to Hyrule the very next day, since they had to collect the G-bike, a trip to Traverse town was necessary. The fifth knight nervously kept on gripping the handle of his Buster sword as the bike was being readied, at this rate, they were going to be late for the morning meeting and Sora will not approve. The moment they secured the bike he urged Cloud to move and to move fast.

Currently they were speeding towards Castle town on the bike, Zack wanted to enjoy the ride but he was unable to. He remembered the last time he was tardy, the first knight was not pleased.

"Can't you go faster?"

"…Why are you in such a hurry?" Cloud queried "it's still morning"

"Are you crazy? Master Sora wants his meetings held when the world is still fast asleep! I once came late and he chewed me out."

Adjusting his glasses the blonde frowned, Zack's description on Sora's personality does not match with what he remembered. He recalled a playful teenager with a sense of purpose, not some military dictator. The bike crossed the wooden bridge and careered straight into town, steering it with ease, he directed the motorbike to a halt in front of Hyrule's castle gates. His friend scrambled off the seat behind him and hastily fixed his appearance then without further ado, his hand was grabbed and he half ran and scuttled across the halls and into a large chamber filled with people. The duo had rushed so fast, Cloud did not comprehend how they got there.

He was acutely aware of all the stares he was being subjected to, he turned and saw Sora looking at him with a stiff smile…the young boy had grown.

"Cloud, it's nice to see you again and honestly I'm relived you are joining us. Welcome to the Knights chamber." A round of polite applause put him to ease.

"No examinations?" Impa asked.

"None needed, trust me when I say Cloud is very, very skilled."

The wary, blank looks morphed into warm gazes of appreciation and respect. Did Sora have this much of a hold on these people? Sitting on the end of the table, Cloud noted a sharp eyed blonde conversing with Zack; there was something…different about him.

"Congratulations Zack, I'm really pleased with our temporary knight. Job well done." The leader spoke and all mutterings and chatter died down. "For now, we shall resume our duties of protecting Hyrule and Link, Shad is complaining you do not take the sky book and Dominion rod seriously."

"He's making me chase myths Sire" Link replied respectfully.

"Myths and legends are important, if you complete the book it opens a path to the City in the Sky does it not? If so, there might be a temple there, where you can find out about your roots as a Hylian."

No one wanted to point out that Sora was merely acting on Zelda's fancies. The princess had expressed her wishes to find out about her beginnings and Link, being one of the people tied to her and also the 'hero' had been tasked with the job. To be fair no one else would be able to do it.

"If there is such a City floating in the sky…I wonder what it'll look like, if I'm available I'd like to lead the mission." The first knight declared

Hearing this, new resolved burned in Link's chest. Starting tomorrow, he was going to give his all for this treat.


	40. Chapter 36: Chased by Legends

A/N: Much thanks to DaniPotterLovesGod and AFredToThePast9 for reviewing and/or following my story. Virtual chocolates to you both (POWER) And without further ado, I present you another chapter, may the feels flow through you and may you leave a review or some constructive criticism for this author.

Disclaimer: I only own my tons of virtual chocolates but none of the games through, poor me.

* * *

Chapter 36: Chased by legends

"How is it possible for a horse to out run a mechanized bike?" Zack huffed and Link smiled at his complaints. The duo was currently in the middle of Hyrule field in Faron province. Link had dismounted Epona and was leading her to the body of water so she could quench her thirst. As the horse drank gratefully, he brushed her mane with his fingers.

"We weren't racing" The Hylian mildly pointed out to his friend who was still sitting on the G-bike. Link was tasked to complete the sky book hence he had to go around the entirety of Hyrule in order to find the owl statues guarding the missing characters. Journeying alone was lonely and cumbersome and so on the first day he had asked Aqua to accompany him, thereafter he made it a ritual to at least have one knight with him when going out, today was the last day and he only had to find one more character, so he strung Zack along.

The brunette yawned.

"Still, she is pretty fast, where did you get her?"

There was a slight pause before Link answered:

"Rusl gifted Epona to me when I was really little and since then Ilia and I used to play with her in Ordon springs. I've been riding Epona for a very long time." He kept on stroking the horse fondly.

Done drinking water, Link's trusty steed neighed delightfully, taking the map and sky book out of his pouch he pored over the map, whilst Zack restarted the bike's engine.

"Where to next?" Even if he was bitterly complaining, driving around Hyrule with the wind whipping through his hair was an enjoyable break from the stresses of the past month. The fifth knight thought about Vanitas. He was probably recovering from his predicament, even though progress was slow. Master Sora did not have to rush around all the time and he was beginning to lose those dark shadows underneath his eyes. Hyrule's state was not of course exemplary, each day an increasing number of guards and a few more knights are being dispatched to various provinces or to the field to deal with monsters.

Sora himself had warned his knights about and impeding attack from Xehanort or Ganondorf, nearly two months had gone by and nothing happened, due to this, the general atmosphere in the Knights chamber turned from anticipation and anxiety to one of relaxation.

"I wonder how Cloud's handling his missions" mused Zack, raising his head he glimpsed his fellow knight still with the map clutched in his hands.

"Where to Link?" he asked again.

"Back to central Hyrule field near Lake Hylia…I missed a statue there." The third knight added and mounted his horse.

"Uh Buddy…I know this sounds silly but I've been suspecting, you can't read a map very well can you? I mean, the statue is right next to Castle T-"

"Let's go" growled a red faced Link.

And so they went, zipping across the fields, the third knight had armed himself with his bow and was sniping enemies from a far, Zack, who had no such luxury was forced to get near and get rid of the shadow beasts in close range, fortunately Cloud's G-bike had a built in sword holster so the brunette was quite happy to have the holster open so everyone could see his prized Buster Sword.

Although the only things around were monsters and beasts,

As the two were crossing the field and getting closer to their destination, Zack who was slightly behind Link saw something out of the ordinary, running after Link and his horse was an ethereal golden wolf. It did not exude any dark energy nor was it a shadow creature but the beast gave off a sense of power. It chased Link, leaving a yellowish white after image. Seeing the wolf get nearer, Zack urged the bike to go faster; it shot forward and leveled itself with Epona.

"LINK! There is a golden wolf chasing you!"

Unfortunately, the wind carried his words away.

"What did you say?" The Hylian queried, turning his head.

"THERE. IS. A. WOLF. FOLLOWING. YOU! Probably your mate." He added in an undertone.

"Even if I do turn into a wolf occasionally, it does not mean I'm looking for any mates." The offended knight snarled.

Wait, he heard that?

"Enough! Move faster for goddesses sake, it's about to overtake you!" There was panic evident in the brunette's tones.

Unsheathing his sword, Link, twisted himself to face backwards and saw the golden wolf. He froze as the grand beast leaped with jaws open wide. Forcing his eyes shut, the Hylian felt fear and a little bit of regret. He could hear his friend's desperate screams.

* * *

He was lying face down in a field of snow. To his surprise his body was perfectly okay, however, where was he? The only place in Hyrule with snow was Snowpeak province; did the golden beast drag him all the way there? If so, why was his body without injury? With these questions and more flashing through his mind, Link slowly got up and nearly screamed his head off.

In front of him stood an animated suit of rusted armor.

No. He calmed down and focused, the suit was being worn by an almost transparent bluish ghost. The right eye socket had nothing whilst the left eye glowed red. The spirit's face was devoid of flesh and the Hylian grimaced and tore his gaze away from its skull. Eyes grazing downwards he noted that this ghost wielded a shield and a

Master sword.

The knight tensed and quickly glanced at his surroundings.

Where was he?

Confused and slightly wary of the inert ghost, he looked around.

Mountains with lava running down its rocky slopes dominated one corner of this world, on the other side; he spied the distinctive towering spires of Arbiter's grounds. Another corner was filled with the blue roofed turrets of Hyrule castle. A huge moon hung low in the sky.

Where was he?

"Do not be afraid child" spoke the ghost and Link fixated on him "come with your sword and let me teach you the Hidden skills."

Tentatively the knight drew his sword and shield.

"How do you know about the Hidden skills?" Link demanded, irises narrowing "and more importantly who are you?"

"A lingering spirit, held together by regrets and attachments to this world."

"What sort of regrets?" The knight lowered his sword and his voice turned sympathetic.

"I was unable to pass on my skills" the ghost mournfully stated "and I'm no longer…remembered as a hero…"

"You still did not tell me your identity."

"What does it matter?" An uncharacteristic fit of comical anger burst from the ancient spirit "I'm sure 'Hero of Time' means nothing you a brat like you! Back in the days I had all the ladies running after me…"

Hero of time.

 _Hero of time_

" _Mommy who is this?" questioned a five year old Link._

" _The hero of time, your father and I named him after you so you could grow up to be a courageous hero like him. He is your ancestor" she replied with a twinkle in her voice._

 _The blonde child continued to gape at the painting; a young, handsome man was standing next to a horse and smiling widely. He wore a green tunic and a large, exaggerated hat on his head._

" _What's ancestor?" he quizzed, infantile brain being unable to process the word._

" _Something along the lines of grandfather, he is your grandfathers' great grandfather."_

 _Link thought long and hard._

' _So he is my grandfather' he concluded in his head._

"Grandfather" the words tumbled out of the blonde adolescent's mouth.

"What did you say?" the ghost puzzled.

"You are my ancestor" Link clarified, "your hidden skills were all recorded and passed down throughout my family, I'm currently in possession of all seven of them and I have mastered them. You weren't forgotten, at least not by me." He looked away, feeling a pang of sorrow and awkwardness. When he was a child, he longed to meet the person in the painting; it was naïve of him to believe the man would appear exactly like his image.

"My child…" the ancient spirit sputtered, the sword and shield fell from his hand "you…are my son. I'd never…never thought my lineage would produce another hero."

Link the knight stood in silence. Not even twitching when mold encrusted gloves gripped his shoulders. He knew if the hero in front of him could cry, he would.

"Let me see your face" saying this, Link's face was jerked upright.

"Hmm…at least you inherited part of my godly looks" the ancient warrior quipped and angled Link's face this way and that, gripping his hat, he pulled it off and stared at his hair.

"Is your hair naturally this color or do you roll around in the dirt a lot?"

"Err…it's my natural hair color, dad's hair was black and mom was blonde so…"

"Blonde huh, you know, one of the Links had brown hair and the rest of us are all blondes."

"…Don't we have anything better to discuss?" Link was feeling a bit peevish; the Hero of time was steadily losing his respect.

"Right, you said that you mastered the Hidden skills…show them to me boy!" Back flipping as elegantly as a ghost could manage, the spirit snatched up his sword and shield and beckoned.

He was a tough opponent and Link was impressed, whatever the young hero threw, the ancient spirit could parry. Deviating from the Hidden skills, Link chose an unorthodox method of fighting, jabbing, confusing his opponent with complex movements, with each consecutive strike blocked, he snarled and growled, finally he threw his shield aside and drew the hilt of his sword, holding it up like a weapon.

"What are you doing child…?" In contrast to Link's frustration the ghost's raspy voice sounded hopeful "don't tell me you are ambidextrous?"

"Not really" the knight answered hoarsely "I'm trying to land a strike on you…you are very strong." Pupils dilating with elation he licked his lips and ran, clutching the two weapons in a position poised to kill.

A sharp pain landed on the middle of his forehead and the shock radiated to his entire body, numbly he let go of his weapons and sat down on the snow.

"Blood lust? Did I just sense blood lust in you child?!" the old hero's voice quivered with rage "how dare you! Courage is supposed to set an example!"

"…"

"SPEAK!"

"Ganondorf killed my paren-" stammered Link.

"So what? So what if the Dark King killed you parents? I never saw my parents, my adopted father tree died right after I killed the parasite inhibiting him, then I'm informed that I'm actually a Hylian and unlike the Kokkiri who will never grow. I lost seven years of my life, I saw Hyrule reduced to ashes, my old comrades did not recognize me and…and…I never got to see my own child." The spirit's rant slowed in pace and he sat down next to Link "I devoted my life to protecting Hyrule and died in the process…and now you give me this…why did I linger for so long…Why Zelda?"

Feeling uncomfortable, the younger Link stared at the snow, he heard glorified stories of his ancestor but he did not know the pain and despair the man might've shouldered. He tried, he really did, however the thrill of wanting to see blood still did not diminish. First he was terrified, now he simply accepted the fact. Racking his brains, he tried to think when this happened.

"I'm part shadow beast sir" he said in a soft voice.

"I'm well aware of it, is that your excuse?"

"No…actually yes, in my wolf form I use my teeth to bite down and tear things so forgive me for getting excited for blood."

"I suppose the fact is explained, I'm just disappointed in how capable you are…and here I was waiting for an opportunity to pass down my original skills."

"Hero of time Sir…do you have any advice for me?"

"Plenty" the ghost answered in heartbeat.

"Please share with me." The knight stared resolutely at the single glowing eyeball, it might be his imagination, he thought the eye's red glow dimmed a little, imparting a feeling of happiness.

Content.

"Listen up. Frist: Don't let power blind you. Second: Respect everyone you come across. Third: Take good care of Epona. Fourth: Remember your friends. Fifth: Do not neglect daily training. Sixth: Make sure to always look presentable; don't let my historic tunic get dirty! Seventh…seventh" here he halted for a while "don't fall in love with Zelda…To preserve our lines the triforce holders can never end up together in life. Did I make myself clear son?"

"Yes sir…also the Princess Zelda in my time is already married to my le..ad…er"

For some reason a soft musical yowling had begun to play and the ghost started to glow.

"Ahh…seems like my regrets have been fulfilled." It spoke and the glow intensified "Thank you Link…thank you for making me proud"

Wait

He broke into multiple orbs of light, the glows floated in the air for a brief moment and scattered in all directions. Scrambling from the snow, Link tried to catch one and he failed.

Sadness seeped into his heart, he had finally found a kinsman and now, he too was gone.

* * *

A ring of concerned faces surrounded his vision. Aqua's face was a bit too close, Zack's expression morphed into relief and there were others too.

Ventus, Roxas, Cloud, Ashei, Sheikha (face still covered), Auru, Impa and even Sora all loomed into his personal space. Reaching out, the blue haired knight's hand brushed a tear away from his cheek.

Huh? Was he crying?

"Are you okay?"

More tears ran involuntarily down his eyes and he sat up, Sora's question hurt.

"Yes Sire" he sobbed "I'm fine."


	41. Chapter 37: Invading dreams

A/N: Virtual cookies, tacos, Devil food's cake (which is my favorite cake by the way) to copycatjake, AFredToThePast9 and DaniPotterLovesGod for reviewing/liking my story it gives me (POWER)

And just to inform, this chapter is the beginning of the last arc of this story...I feel kinda...sad.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 37: Invading Dreams

 _She watched frozen from her spot on her throne as they came pouring in through the doors of the throne room. The knights, Link, no one was around her, not even Impa or Sora. She was just left with a few castle guards who were brutally killed by the never ending onslaught of shadow monsters. Gripping her rapier tightly Zelda prayed and raised her weapon. The ugly sneer painted on Ganondorf's face warned of something sinister._

" _Do you want to see Hyrule burn? Or drown in a sea of blood? Or perhaps you want to be the only one walking around in its ruins…what do you say princess? Are your people not precious to you?"_

 _His words did not sway her._

" _Hyrule shall never fall, Link will be here to stop you and not just him, the Master Knights are more than enough to cripple you for the rest of your life!" She firmly stated._

" _Oh…you mean him…" A body was tossed her way, letting go of her sword, she ran to catch it, when she did so, all the life drained from her._

 _Brown hair sticking up in spikes, his face was smudged with dried blood and his body was cold._

 _Extremely cold._

 _Lifeless._

" _No…" she cradled Sora's lifeless body and her eyes wandered further and another shock awaited her._

 _Impa and Link, both sprawled in awkward positions on the marbled floor, through their chest was a golden pole with a flag depicting three golden triangles._

 _Her eyes blurred and she looked down at her husband's face. Even in death, his expression appeared goofy, kind._

" _I'm sorry" she whispered tears falling endlessly, washing away dried blood._

" _I'm a failure as a princess."_

* * *

Zelda jerked awake and stared at her surroundings, she was in her bedroom safe and sound, Hyrule was not being conquered.

A dream…

No, the experience was too vivid to be a dream…a premonition. Something like this will happen in the future.

Her first thought was to relay her dream to Sora, the leading Master Knight, instead the image of his dead body surfaced in her mind and she shivered. She couldn't tell him, he was unrelated to this incident.

Then who else?

Link. Yes, she should tell him, the Hero has a right to know.

As soon as she confirmed the daily knight's meeting was over, she sent a messenger to summon the Hero to her study, he shuffled in with a polite smile on his face.

Anything I can do for you princess?

He said and bowed.

Facing Zelda and being told of her premonition was such a bizarre occurrence that it felt unreal and out of place. In the first place, why was the princess of Hyrule telling him out of all people ? Wouldn't First and Second knight Sora and Impa be better candidates? More importantly…

He was summoned alone and the door was closed, no one else was around, not even a servant or maid, Link would have preferred it if she relayed her problems before everyone, the knights worked as a unit, he hoped Master Sora was not going to kill him.

"Are you listening to me?" she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yes princess" he half lied.

"…You must not let anyone know of this information, only we, the bearers of triforce are allowed to know what is going on."

"My lady" he was being disrespectful, but he had to makes his words clear "won't it be better if all the knights knew about this? I mean Master Sora he will definitely be able to put in defensive measures once he is informed about the atta-"

For a brief, brief moment Link's sharp eyes picked up a flutter of fear crossing Zelda's face.

She was afraid of something.

"Are you shirking your duties?" her voice chimed like frost "it is your responsibility to put Ganondorf to rest…of course it is mine as well. Let's work together and do our best." Sensing his dismissal, the blond knight got up from his seat, dipped his head respectfully and exited the room.

Out of sight, Zelda's shoulders drooped.

* * *

Cloud eyed the blonde third knight. They have been paired together to clean out the arid fields of Gerudo desert. As soon as the knights meeting ended, he was summoned by the princess and the adolescent had gone with in high spirits, alas, when Link came back, he looked like a Hylian themed zombie. Communication was not Cloud's forte but since he had joined the knights and was arguably the senior, he tried to find out what's bothering the brooding swordsman.

Keyword being tried.

"…Is there something wrong?"

Ignoring everything around him, Link plunged his Master sword several times in a dying monster, it presented an ugly sight. Once the moldrom vanished in a puff he looked around, trying to locate a new victim.

"There is something bothering you, if you don't tell me what's going on…we'll be going our separate ways." A low tone dangerously droned.

"Responsibilities…I don't know how to handle mine." Came the short answer, the master sword wielder regretted not bringing Epona along, now he was forced to sit behind Cloud and ride on his bike.

"Well…for starters stop thinking about them and do the job at hand"

In Cloud's book, it went rather okay. The two of them strapped on helmets and decided to scout the Gerudo Mesa.

Arriving at the place, Link slid off the bike and equipped his claw shot, the tenth knight, who possessed the super human ability to leap over mountains without any aid followed him on foot, they charged through a few bulbins who were scattered about and the third knight's attention was drawn to a large white stone pillar which looked like it was blocking the entrance to a cave, problem is…there was no way he could move the obstacle and his sword…

He stowed his Master sword away, he was definitely _not_ taking chances against that monolith.

Shouldering his fusion blade, Cloud strode up and stood next to Link, shaking away awkwardness Link took the opportunity and requested the knight to get rid of the obstacle. Holding the giant blade in front of him, Cloud cloaked it with energy, jumped and brought his sword down on the imposing stone slab; he cut it neatly in half. The two halves separated and fell apart, as it hit the ground, it cracked and crumbled into pieces.

Link was awed. Here was a person who effortlessly did what he could not. Coupled with the information he learnt earlier today, his chest felt heavier.

Secrets, how deadly and how difficult to keep them hidden. How did the princess manage to hide under a calm façade? He himself felt like he was bursting at the seams, he wanted to tell someone, anyone.

"Great heroes always do their journey alone, they have friends to help them but friends can never shoulder the destiny the heroes bear. Come, we should get going, seems like this area leads to a deeper dungeon and we cannot go through without Sora's permission." Sheathing his Sword the older man turned, his travelling cape fluttering behind him and made his way back to the motorcycle. His words had a profound effect on Link who absentmindedly sat behind him and ruminated.

 _I had a premonition, Hyrule will be invaded by Ganondorf and his followers in the near future_

The bearer of courage looked down on his hands and noticed a faint glowing triangle, a tiny flame of resolve grew and suddenly it burst into a roaring fire. The golden glow turned brighter and Link decided to heed the princess words. He would not tell anyone of her dreams and when the time comes, he'd be ready to defend his country at all costs.

They were still a good distance from Castle town and Cloud rode the bike at a leisurely pace, as they neared, Link's grip on him tightened ever so slightly and a smile worked its way on his lips. At last it appears as if the adolescent has accepted his destiny.

Although it would be a heavy burden on anyone's shoulders.

* * *

Impa was not imagining it, her charge was beginning to look pale again and she briefly wondered if Sora noticed, however, it was a difficult feat to do so. The princess was rather cautious about her emotions and thoughts and unless one was close to her, it was impossible to know what she was thinking about. Zelda had taken the afternoon off and was strolling about in the garden and courtyard whilst Impa kept a watch. They were having a cordial chat.

Cordial on the surface, the Sheikh warrior picked up strain and tiredness in the princess' tone.

Right then the first knight burst into the garden screaming in an exaggerated fashion and tearing his hair.

"Roxas, VENTUS…get back here this instant! I swear if you do something to Vanitas again I won't forgive you!" The brunette rushed past Zelda still blaring "Snapping his bones for fun isn't something a knight should do! You know magic does not heal him and I have to carry…" his voice faded as he kept on ranting and running. The Hylian princess observed his retreating back.

So carefree.

If things didn't go well, everyone she held dear would be lifeless bodies around her.

Sometimes knowing too much was deadly, nothing ever surprised her anymore and her vast knowledge was incomprehensible to the people she lived around.

Chess pieces, Ganondorf had said, were they really being played by the goddesses. Did the goddesses have no qualms about continuing this tried and tested tradition every hundred or so years apart?

"Princess? Did you have a vision?" Impa questioned abruptly.

Zelda relented and told her everything. That night she slept with a lighter weight on her chest.

* * *

"Why do I have to feed you again Vanitas?" Sora sighed, he was in his younger brother's bedroom and the black haired devil had a content smile plastered on his face.

"Roxas cracked my left wrist and Ventus did in my right. I can't hold a spoon anymore" he merrily informed his elder brother.

"And you couldn't, I don't know, scream at them to stay away?" The first knight sulked.

"You always told me it's important to bond with my brothers…so I'm trying to be friendly."

There was something about Vanitas' bland statement that bothered Sora.

"Have you lost your…abilities?"

"I'm not sure if I lost them, or if it due to my current condition, but I can't materialize Void gear for more than a few seconds and having them near doesn't hurt me anymore."

"In any case, are you feeling better, does your chest hurt? Or your head? You can walk arou-"

A deafening sound permeated throughout Hyrule. It was a ringing sound; the huge bell in one of the castle towers was being rung.

It was only to be rung during apocalyptic disasters…say for example:

An invasion.

In the safety of their manor, both brothers from the house of Kingdom froze. Getting up, the brown haired knight hastily covered his crippled brother with blankets and ran out of the room. As soon as he burst out of the house, he witnessed a terrifying sight. Faceless shadow beasts lumbered with a singular destination in mind, joining the ranks were Darknuts, armored Helmasaurus and Bulbo mounted bulbins. The sky was dominated by keese, aeralfos and guays. People scattered before the horrific procession and watched mutely. Sora wasted no time and took to the rooftops trying to see who was at the head of the march, although he had a very good idea of the person behind it.

Flame orange hair and coffee brown skin, he walked with a powerful gait towards the castle, right behind him were his ghostly white phantom riders, who were reigning in their horses to keep pace behind their master. Ganondorf spied a blur running across the rooftop and he looked, Kingdom key's wielder was running across and their gazes met briefly, turning his head away, Sora tore through the space and carried on to the castle. His knights, Roxas and Ven, Zelda must be protected at all costs.

They must be informed.

In the knights' room, the spotlight of attention focused on Cloud who was relating stories about his days as a soldier. Zack kept interrupting his friend's narration to give glimpses of over glorified deeds which the knights knew were partially, if not all, untrue. Link was so absorbed in the storytelling atmosphere he neglected the tingling at the back of his hand and as a result, failed to see his triangle was flashing intensely. As mellow laughter spilled out and suddenly the door to the knights' chamber was violently opened, tumbling in was their leader panting as if he ran a marathon.

"Invasion…Hyrule is being invaded and you knights are sitting here and swapping STORIES?" Sora roared and Link felt the words were uttered especially for him. Like clockwork, the Master Knights stood up, filed through the door and outside. Any insecurities about the situation was shoved to the back of their minds as the primed themselves for battle. Link tried to do the same, instead shock rendered him inert.

The princess' premonitions had come disastrously, accurately true.

"Link, I'd appreciate it if you moved quicker" his commander spat, as the Hylian passed, the prince observed palpable terror etched on the adolescent's face.

Did he…No, now was not the time to think.

As soon as Link left, Sora flew towards the throne room. As ridiculous as it sounded, he was too late.

She watched frozen from her spot on her throne as they came pouring in through the doors of the throne room. Zelda shivered, this was occurring just like her dream, no one was with her. Swallowing down trepidation, she summoned her bow in a flash of light and aimed at the multitude of phantom riders. Letting loose a shower of arrows, the princess watched the ghostly apparitions scatter like smoke.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to dispatch the knights to battle." She angled her head to the voice coming from behind her and her turbulent feelings stabilized. Everything will be okay, she was not alone.

"Thank you, I know this is rather discourteous of me, but please fetch Link" Hearing her requests Sora had already spun around and was heading out through the entrance he came in "and Impa as well" Zelda hesitated for a brief moment "and you too…please come back and stay by my side." The prince picked out desperation, despite putting up a strong mask, she was afraid.

The princess of Hyrule, bearer of Wisdom and generally unmoved by anything, was scared.


	42. Chapter 38: A sacrificial compromise

A/N: Much thanks to AFredToThePast9 and DaniPotterLovesGod for reviewing once again (POWER) I had the flu and the reviews made me feel much better. No kidding. So here is another chapter, please read and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ nor KH

* * *

Chapter 38: A sacrificial compromise, or not

"Calling for reinforcements?" Ganondorf finished his sentence by plunging his sword into a castle guard's abdomen; he had witnessed Sora come in and leave the room moments later due to Zelda saying something to him.

"Why yes…are you afraid?" she delivered her taunt with masked emotions.

A booming laughter echoed around the walls of the throne room as the bearer of power threw his head back and laughed.

"Don't think I came in here unprepared princess" he thundered "I simply have to take you hostage an-"

A blue-gray wolf barreled out of nowhere and sunk its jaws on Ganondorf's arm, the Gerudo, raised his limb and shook it vigorously, yet the beast did not detach itself, finally the Dark King retrieved his Warlock blade and tried to strike Link with it, the Hylian sensed danger and jumped away, thereafter he morphed back into a human and licked his lips.

Blood was running down the Gerudo chief's arms in small rivulets, the tributaries joined together and dripped red liquid on the polished floor. Despite the fact that his nerves should have been severed, the holder of power gripped his blade with both arms and charged forward. Link readied his stance and prepared to face him, instead of clashing blades, Ganondorf changed directions midway and went for the princess.

* * *

Link was perplexed; the knights had heard the huge gong and merely ignored it in favor of listening to Cloud's stories. He felt shame burning inside him, his duty is to protect Hyrule, he was even informed of the impending attack and yet…

Yet he let this happen.

Castle town was in chaos, shadow beasts were running loose, grabbing whatever was in their way and either destroying it or killing it. The knights were busy. He admired Cloud who had pulled out his blade and was doing remarkable progress with Zack, the two had teamed up and was tearing through hoards of monsters like it was no big deal. Not being modest, they spammed their lethal attacks, clearing the field and invoking a semblance of peace to the terrified citizens. Further onwards, columns of blinding white light assaulted his sharp vision, Roxas and Ventus were at work calling forth Salvation, holy light to disintegrate darkness. Pulling himself out of his sour mood, Link leapt into battle, with terrifying skills he got rid of Darknuts and shadow beasts. At one point he found his blade knocked out of his grasp, it had flown over to the other side of the battle field. Without panicking he quickly transformed himself into a sacred beast and targeted his prey's throats, while he was busy Master Sora arrived on the scene.

"LIIINNNKKK! IMPA!" he screeched louder than the dying screams of monsters "THE PRINCESS SUMMONS YOU IN THE THRONE ROOM, GANONDORF-" The Hylian Hero did not need any more prompting, narrowly avoiding an aeralfos' spear, he raced across to recover his sword, sheathing it away, he once again turned into a wolf and dashed after Impa and his leader as they ran to the throne room. The moment he saw the Dark king, he bolted towards him and snapped his jaws around his arm as tightly and brutally as he could manage.

Unfortunately Ganondorf had no intention of fighting with him from the beginning; his sight was set on Princess Zelda from the start. Wordlessly, Link watched as a sneer formed on Ganondorf's face when his sword was parried by Impa's giant blade.

"Going straight for the princess…how immodest." The Sheikh warrior intoned, she had thrown her cape aside and her tanned arms were visibly strained as she countered the most powerful being in Hyrule's universe.

An intense heat and light seared Link's eyes, underneath his feet, the room shook and marble cracked.

What was going on?

At the edge of his vision he beheld a key-blade cloaked in fire and whizzing across the room akin to a Frisbee, Master Sora, his clothes inexplicably yellow, was holding a dark key-blade in one hand and clubbing enemies out of his way. Entranced, Link watched the fire wrapped key-blade return to its owner, instead of catching it, it drifted above his head. A thin arc of electricity connected the two weapons, in a blinding flash, the twin blades glowed with electricity and surged outwards, paralyzing some monsters and even destroying lesser ones. With new conviction, Link held his sword and made a bee line towards Ganondorf. The dark king, occupied with Impa was unable to parry the Jump strike performed on him, the Master blade cut deep and Ganondorf hissed in pain. Pushing Impa away he whirled around, hitting Link with his sword, the third knight flew across the room and collided with the front of a Helmasaurus, pain shot from the small of his back up towards his head and he slid down.

Too rattled to think straight, Link brought out his spiked ball and chain and began to twirl it, letting it go, he watched in sadistic glee as it carved a path of destruction, it came to a stop and the action was repeated till the silver sphere ricocheted off Sora's shield.

The first knight glared at him.

Meekly putting the ball and chain away, he fished out his bow and arrow, however, the cramped room made aiming difficult. An arrow soared through the room bouncing off Ganondorf's head and Link sulked, feeling annoyed and somewhat pressurized as the enraged Gerudo chief started walking towards him, the Hylian rummaged through his sack, movements getting erratic, finally with Ganondorf mere meters away from him he pulled out the weapon of mass destruction:

A fishing rod.

The battle sounds dimmed and sputtered out as every creature under the roof turned to look towards Link and his fishing rod, even the bearer of power, mouth slightly agape, stared at the object in Link's hands, deciding he caused enough shock, the master blade wielder whipped his sword out and delivered a decisive slash across his nemesis' face. All of a sudden, the chaos in the throne room restarted.

For a second time, the third knight was sent flying, but this time it was due to Impa crashing against him, almost as if their movements and trajectory was calculated beforehand, the flying duo then bumped into Sora who regrettably, was in the process of discharging a thundaga. The three made contact and the second and third knight almost passed out from the electrification they received. His hair was standing up on end and he looked stupidly at his leader who began apologizing profusely.

In that instant, everyone had forgotten about Zelda.

* * *

Vanitas heaved heavy blankets off his person, earlier he'd lied to his brother about his wrists being broken. Whatever, he was making up for the time Sora left him alone anyway.

Getting out of bed, he made his way across the room and towards the window, although his condition was getting better, progress was way too slow for him. Not used to walking, he briefly buckled and used a chair to steady him. Looking out of the window, his expression paled.

A team of aeralfos, guays and keese were heading this way. Vanitas couldn't fight them! He can't even stand on his own feet for goddesses sake. Unrelenting, the monsters crashed through the glass and flapped around the room.

Doomed…He was doomed.

A sense of despair overtook him and he doubled over, there was no pain, however he was terrified. Slowly a thick shadow enclosed him right till his neck, with a jolt, Vanitas realized it was his red and black battle suit, concentrating, he willed the helmet to form and to his surprise it did. Taking a deep breath, he stuck his hand out and called on Void gear.

The chain wrapped key-blade flashed into existence, he waited for a while and the weapon still rested in his hand, knowing physical attacks were out of the question he summoned his strongest magic attack and executed it.

A black mega flare

Double suicide.

The enemies in the room all vanished and with them, Vanitas' conscious.

Back in the throne room the three knights turned when the beasts and monsters in the chamber all disappeared, on the far end stood Ganondorf with princess Zelda, the tip of his Warlock sword was pointed at her throat.

"If you don't want her dead, I suggest you stay where you are" the Gerudo's guttural vocals bounced around the room "weapons as well, put them away"

Something burned in Link's chest…rage…no. It was a need, he was compelled, forced to go to the princess and help her out of this predicament, but he was unable to, with a heavy heart, he stowed his weapon away, Impa as well and Master Sora's clothes had returned to the customary red and black, his key-blades winked out of existence. From where he stood the first knight shouted:

"Let Zelda go, you can have anything else, just let her go!"

"How moronic are you? I want her! With the holder of wisdom in my grasp, no one can stop me when I start a new era of terror over Hyrule!"

The princess' irises shrank with displeasure.

"You may take me hostage" she stated clearly "however, you are forbidden to lay a finger on my people!"

Sora reeled, instead of feeling indignation and anger at the situation, the words uttered by Zelda made his heart ache.

Pain…if she went with him…he won't see her anymore…he was starting to lose strength in his limbs.

"Wait!" he commanded in a shaky voice as they turned away, "Zelda…what in the goddess name are you doing? Giving into him means him getting command of the castle! How can you guarantee he won't break his promises?"

He was grasping at straws.

"I'm a man of my words you overconfident brat!" Spat the enraged Gerudo.

"Don't worry" she assured him "Ganondorf will keep his promises and Link will save me"

At his name, the hero perked up and Sora calmed down.

 _'Link will save me_ ' although those words were said to inspire hope, the prince only felt crushed. Why him?

Why not me?

Shaking himself out of these thoughts, he once again froze as a dark corridor opened up next to Ganondorf and his captive, Xehanort, bent with age walked out equipped with his key-blade. A dreadful scene played out as he walked towards Zelda raised his weapon and slashed at her throat.

Time splicer

Sora had activated the command the moment the dark master raised his blade, he did not use the time to attack, focusing his energy to drag Zelda away, once the time returned to normal, he carried her in his arms and beckoned the two knights to follow him. They sped out of the throne room and the castle going into Castle town where the rest of the knights gathered.

Setting the princess down he looked at her, her face was stamped with a bewildered expression and slowly she touched her neck where a deep gash dribbled blood. Disorientated she simply looked at Sora with a confused expression.

"What…what happened? I was about to get killed and…"

"Nothing happened, for now, I'm taking you to a safe place" he half smiled.

"NO! Hyrule…I must stay here and protect my people" the princess pushed herself away from Sora's embrace.

"Don't be crazy, there won't be a princess of Hyrule if you get yourself killed" The prince said sternly, ignoring Zelda, he commanded a retreating order for the knights, in due time as well since both Xehanort and Ganondorf appeared on stage. The princess muted upon seeing the bald man, and Sora seized the opportunity to grab her and move, leaping up, he began to order the knights in an aerial formation.

"Link behind me and Impa place yourself next to him" he jumped to another roof top as the knights positioned themselves "Roxas and Ventus in front of me, Cloud, Auru, border me on both sides. Zack, Ashei, stay behind Link and Impa. Sheikha and Aqua keep a lookout for our pursuers."

Cloud was surprised by the strict retreating order and the fashion in which they retreated, the knights slid in and out like mechanized parts of a whole, no complaining, no bumping into one another even as they leapt across, they managed to perfectly synchronize themselves into a human barrier around their leader.

"Ventus" Sora's breath was coming out in harsh rales and in response, Zelda placed a hand on his chest, she felt miserable…and where was he taking her anyway? "Open a dark corridor to Disney Castle"

She shifted in his arms.

"You are taking me to another world?" she asked gently "Sora…my people…they will think I betrayed them!"

"The knights know you didn't, please…let me take you someplace safe, it'll…uh…put my…everyone's heart at ease. Yep, Impa won't worry so much and so won't Link and the rest of the knights…if you are safe I mean." She was staring at him intently and his face was growing red. If he could scratch the back of his head, he'd do so.

Ventus blanched, sneaking a glance at his twin he helplessly shrugged. Together they could create dark corridors, but they never tried the feat alone, he was in no position to argue against his brother since they were being chased by nightmares. Calling forth every ounce of concentration he willed the space to tear.

And a dark corridor opened before them.

Shouting instructions for the knights to keep Ganondorf and Xehanort busy, Sora went through the portal alone and the pathway vanished.

* * *

The first knight, still holding Zelda jumped out of the black corridor and onto the long rectangular table where King Mickey and a crowd of people were seated, he skidded to a halt and looked around. Zelda, mortified by their unsightly entrance hid her face whilst people stared at them.

Sheepishly hopping off the table he let the princess down and faced the gathering.


	43. Chapter 39: We like to party with swords

A/N: Much thanks to AFredToThePast9 and DaniPotterLovesGod for reviewing. It makes writing worthwhile. Since I can't offer anything else except gratitude, here is a handful, please keep on reading and supporting the story.

Disclaimer: What? I have to do this again?! Ugh, here I go - I don't own KH nor LOZ, OR anything for that matter. Oh wait, this story is mine.

* * *

Chapter 39: We like to party…with swords

This was an urgent meeting. After the whole fiasco with dark key-blade wielder Vanitas, King Mickey had a strict schedule for his companions to keep a watch on Xehanort. The old master was sitting quietly in his room the entire morning and suddenly he disappeared. Instead of wasting precious time trying to hunt him down, Riku informed Mickey of the event and a mass compulsory meeting was held. The humanoid mouse peered at faces he thought he'd never see again.

"This is an emergency, instead of discussing what we should do; we must take after him immediately!" Donald quacked; as usual the King's mage was impatient. No one paid any attention to him, instead the attention pivoted to a man whose black hair was tied back into a ponytail and who sported deep scars on his face.

"Master Eraqus…what do you say? Of all of us present here, you knew him the best" The king queried

The man sighed deeply before speaking.

"I can only say one thing, it is our duty to stop him, my friend, no Xehanort is disillusioned by his own id-"

At that moment a dark corridor opened up in midair, above the table, careering out of it came Sora carrying princess Zelda. Both of them looked like they lived through the apocalypse. The wielder of Kingdom key jumped on the table to the surprise and annoyance of the members present, after he got his bearings and true to his character, he sheepishly hopped off the meeting table, set the princess down on the floor and blurted out a string of sorry's.

"What happened?" Asked Riku in a heartbeat.

"Emergency happened" answered Sora "Ganondorf is trying to take over Hyrule and while he took Zelda hostage, Xehanort appeared out of nowhere and tried to kill her, she has a huge wound on her neck. Please, someone treat her."

Donald raised his jewel topped staff and casted a curaga on her, instantly all the pain, blood and wounds vanished, leaving her refreshed and energized. The first knight looked at him dumbfounded. Raising his hand, he pointed at the character in a childish manner.

"So you _can_ heal! I was always under the impression that being Mickey's mage you had serious skills and yet…not once in our journeys did you cast healing magic on me! Did you know how many times I came this close to dying? Sometimes I had no food to eat because I spent all my Munny on potions! DONALD!" Sora ranted and took a huge breath, he was tired and the knowledge of going back to Hyrule and doing battle with two power crazed maniacs was making him a bit maniacal as well "HEAL ME…NOW!"

And Donald Duck ignored him.

That hypocritical Duck!

Hearing his woes, many people took pity and it began raining potions his way. Still mortified, Zelda watched Sora collect the potions with a huge, happy grin on his face and found her lips curving upwards as well.

"Sit with us" Mickey said "we need a grasp of the situation, you too princess. The more information we can get the better."

The two new comers sat down, squeezing in between Riku and Lea and the meeting resumed.

"How did the invasion happen?" Yen Sid opened the conversation.

"I was feeding Vanitas when the bell rang, once I got outside, I saw Ganondorf marching to the castle with a whole lot of monsters behind him, as I got to the castle, I first commanded the knights to go to battle then I raced to the throne room, to my shock, the Gerudo king was already there. Zelda asked me to fetch Link and Impa, I did so. We were battling in the throne room and things took a turn for the worst. So I decided to command a retreat order till I got the princess here safely." Sora explained.

"I understand, after all there is no place safer in this universe other than Disney Castle."

"Yes Master Yen Sid" the key-blader agreed "I want her to stay here for the time being, or at least till Link can put Ganondorf down or kick him out of Castle Town."

"Ah, yes, Link. He is the other chosen one right. Can't he get rid of Ganondorf alone?" This time Mickey spoke up.

"No your majesty, I must fight as well" Zelda replied, keeping her eyes lowered she continued "I don't know how we will accomplish the feat if Sora insists on me staying here."

"It's only for the time being" the brunette whined "at least let the knights get Xehanort out, you froze when you saw him and don't lie to me!"

The room grew silent, seeing the couple bicker was rather amusing.

"So this is princess Zelda" on the other side of the table a young woman piped up. She was dressed in black shorts that were the definition of short, a headband ran underneath dark hair and she twirled a giant shuriken in her fingers, next to her another lady smiled gently.

"Ms Aerith, Yuffie, nice to see you …and yes…this is Zelda" he mumbled wary of Yuffie's teasing.

Now would be a good time to leave the meeting.

"So why weren't we invited to the wedding? It was my dream from when I was young, to eat wedding cake!" Yuffie carried on relentlessly.

"I was in a predicament." A curt reply escaped Sora's mouth, he was getting uncomfortable.

"If you want to eat wedding cake that badly Yuffie, I suggest you get married, your father will be really pleased" droned Leonhart, irritation evident in his voice.

"No way!" the ninja shrieked and threw her weapon across; it flew through the air in an arc and returned to her "there is no man great enough to be Yuffie the great's husband!"

"How about Riku? He's your type isn't he?" Next to Sora, the silver haired man petrified, mechanically turning his head he glared at the gun-blade wielder.

"He he he…I agree he is a bit of my type but he is so gloomy! I mean if his handsome face is going to look like he ate something sour, then no thanks!"

One by one the council members shifted their gaze to the aquamarine eyed man, Sora even had the audacity to reach out and brush Riku's his bangs out of his eyes.

"What are you doing?" He spoke through clenched teeth; his words directed at his best friend "get your face and hands away from me"

Imparting a mischievous smile the brunette retracted his hand.

"Currently, what are the knights doing?" A buff brown haired male abruptly questioned, there was anxiety written on his face."

"Doing battle with Xehanort and Ganondorf, I asked them to buy me some time."

The adolescent's face turned slightly pale. Sora observed him carefully; there was something familiar about him.

"…"

"Anyway" The first knight got up from his seat "I need to return, Roxas and Ventus, I'm worried about them and my knights. King Mickey, take care of Zelda for me." Stretching out a hand, he opened a dark corridor and was about to step inside when two voices simultaneously rang out with the same words.

"I want to come with you!" It was the brown haired male and Riku, their tones originating from two different sides of the table.

"Terra!" Master Eraqus admonished "how many time have I told you not to let your emotions sway your judgment?" The male had a conflicted expression.

"Master, I want to see them. Ventus and Aqua…it's been so long…" he trailed off and Sora saw the loneliness stamped on his visage.

Knowing how devastating the particular emotion can be Sora added:

"I could do with some help…if there is anyone interested, please join me…except Zelda." He tacked on the last words when the Hylian princess started to appear hopeful.

* * *

The knights landed on the ground as soon as Sora and Princess Zelda left. Instinctively their formation changed with Link facing Ganondorf and the twin dragons glowering at Xehanort.

A tense face off.

The tension was tangible, like a rubber band stretched to the limit.

Link stood in a position with his hand grasping the handle of his sheathed sword, pupils growing and shrinking in a rhythmic manner. Ventus held Wayward wind in front of his body like a shield and Roxas had Oblivion hanging by his side.

Time ticked.

Neither party wanted to make the first move. Xehanort especially, he reveled in mind games.

A loud roar broke the silence and drawing his Warlock blade, Ganondorf charged, he locked blades with Link who hissed in an animalistic manner. Moving as one, several knights, namely Zack, Sheikha and Impa surrounded the Gerudo who glared in disgust. Meanwhile the rest continued to monitor Xehanort who merely stood hunched and smirked.

"He's planning something" Roxas whispered to his younger brother "look at him smile"

And plan something he did.

Behind the dark master a space tore, marching out of it came hooded, black cloaked figures who were well acquainted with Roxas.

"Oh no…no…no…NO!" The blonde panicked, cold sweat drenched his face. The human nobodies removed their hoods and smiled disturbingly.

Saix, Demyx, Xaldin, Luxord and…and Axel?!

What was he doing here? What was his best friend doing teaming up with those guys? Roxas begun to get angry face becoming red, raising his black key-blade high he cloaked it with darkness and flung it at Axel with all his might. Once they were defeated he could ask questions, sprinting after his key-blade, he saw the flame haired man bat it away with his chakrams. Leaping into the air, the caught it.

"What…never mind, I'll ask questions later" he scowled at Axel and narrowly avoided Xaldin's spear. The next moment he was hopping from place to place as all the nobodies teamed up to assault him. As he parried Saix's claymore, time in his general vicinity slowed down and stopped all together.

Seeing his brother in a pinch (as he was not moving anymore) Ventus moved forward, he targeted Axel whom he knew held a special place in Roxas' heart, blitzing forward, he engaged him with a flurry of blindingly fast slashes. Overwhelmed, Axel ignited his Eternal flame and used it to put some distance between him and Ventus, but to no avail. Cloaked in a bluish aura, the boy charged with an electricity wrapped key-blade and dealt strikes so quickly, his movements twisted into one another. The red haired nobody was pushed backwards and the force of Ven's attacks were beginning to crack his weapons. Instead of attacking the new intruder, the other nobodies watched in fascination and awe, their jaws slack with amazement.

Still imperfect. Xehanort's eye twitched.

The red rimmed metallic weapons shattered and Ven's fever pitch faded, however he was not done. Commanding an aeroga, he slammed it into Axel and the nobody crashed into the side of a building, cracking the wall. He slid down and his form began to flicker.

Red spikes turned into steel-grey and both his hair and stature began shrinking. Roxas who had recovered from his earlier attack went over to Ven and gaped.

"Zexion?...No wonder. Jeez I'm relived actually"

"That it's not Axel?" Ven chirped "yeah me too."

Having a conversation in the middle of battle was their worst mistake. Hefting his claymore, Saix stormed towards Ventus who heard noise and half-turned. His brother reacted quicker, pushing him out of the way and bracing for impact, instead of feeling pain, he sensed someone's shadow.

Aqua.

Teeth gritted, she leaned on Rainfell, parrying with her weight, Saix's weapon was heavy, he retracted his blade and Aqua pitched forward in a fall and the nobody aimed to slam his claymore on her head. In the next instant, a giant blade was impaled into his skull and he vanished, breaking down into black smoke.

"Thank you Zack" she breathed.

The fifth knight was already walking away to stand next to Cloud, his words were tossed over his shoulder:

"You owe me a date!~"

The female frowned.

With Ganondorf, progress was going smoothly, the Hylian found himself feeling savage pleasure as he toyed with his enemy, dodge-rolling, he executed another back-slash, adding a new scar and wound to the others which already decorated his back. The other knights gave him a wide berth, Link it seems, did not need any help, he was doing perfectly, frighteningly fine. Cloud observed his predecessor with fascination; his depression was gone and resolved burned in those blue eyes. The mercenary was slightly taken aback by his brutality. He looked like he was enjoying his fight.

"Don't worry, after he turned into a wolf, Link became like that…he likes his food raw." Zack whispered.

"No I don't!" shot back the third knight, sharp hearing picking up his friend's baseless accusations.

"I'm sure you are well aware that you cannot defeat me without Zelda." The dark king snarled. Both he and his adversary were panting. The Hylian did not reply, he sidestepped to avoid Ganondorf's blade.

And that is when all hell broke loose.

Everyone's movement was remarkable slowed down as if someone had deliberately cut down the normal flow in time. Link's vision grazed over, moving painfully slow as his eyes locked on to the new enemies surrounding Xehanort, the one with the cards, his mind supplied, was playing with them. He wanted to go over and kill the enemy but a blow to his gut had him wheezing. The Gerudo was taking advantage of the situation.

Roxas had his arms wrapped around Ven in an effort to shield him, Aqua as well, having foresight to enclose them and herself in a barrier. She observed the tenth knight Cloud, sliding his Fusion sword out slowly.

Very slowly. Their enemies moved too fast, like a blur. Her barrier disintegrated and several spears pierced through her body. Even her cry came out warped. Turning her head she saw Ventus and Roxas safe in their barrier. At least they were okay. Impa and Sheikha did not fare better, Sheikha's harp, taken out to combat the time slowing down phenomenon, had its strings cut by Demyx. He had summoned water clones and dancer nobodies who were doing a number on the cramped battle field.

A single thought flashed through Link's mind.

 _I'm going to die_

Everything was sluggish. He tasted metal in his mouth. Around him his comrades fell and Ganondorf had a pleased look on his face.

Legends.

He did want to be a hero anymore.

Desperation.

The only thing he wanted was to see the knights smile together once more. Eyes turning upwards Link swung back and forth between consciousness and unconsciousness. He saw the white blade coming for his chest, perhaps it was stuck in his heart already and he only needed to feel the pain.

Something ripped in his ears. He heard footsteps.

* * *

Sora came to a disaster; he stepped out and saw Link laying on the floor half lifeless. Casting a quick look around he saw everyone's movements were laborious almost as if someone had cast a spell on them. Behind him Riku leapt out and went straight to the nobodies, Lea (who tagged along) rushed to Roxas' side and Terra stood there staring in mute horror. His long overdue meeting with his friends had arrived and the first thing he sees is their injured bodies. Riku must've done something to Luxord since time sped up again. He ran, and managed to catch an impaled Aqua before she hit the floor.

"Te..rra?" the female knight blinked "you are here? Ven…will be so…hap-" she passed out. Brutally the spears in her body were recalled. Casting healing magic on her, his eyes searched for Ven who was standing with his twin brother and Lea. Leaving Aqua in a safe place, he rushed towards Ven; however, a flying spear intercepted his way.

Xaldin stood his ground, blue lances whirling around him.

"Out of my WAY!" A familiar toned roar reached Ven's ears. Leaving a squabbling Roxas and Lea behind, he gravitated to the source of the voice to find a Terra finishing of Xaldin with his Ghost drive. Forgetting his surroundings for a moment, he ran and crashed to the older male, greeting him with a wide smile. Terra, on seeing him calmed down and ruffled his hair.

"Could've met under better conditions…but hey, a meeting is a meeting right?"

The younger blonde nodded, excitement rendering him speechless.

Sora scowled at Ganondorf. Link had curled up into a fetal position and was moaning in pain. Summoning his key-blade he attempted to strike the Gerudo, instead a grey haired man blocked his attacks.

"Master Xehanort says to complete what you came here for" Zexion droned "make it quick, we are out of time."

Ganondorf retreated and the first knight's eyes followed him, he noticed Impa, wounded and all, chased the hulking man as well. Focusing on his opponent once more, his arm became limp when he saw Zelda standing before him, a confused expression on her face.

'Not her… _not her_ '

Unfortunately he asked:

"Zel…da?"

"Yes" came out her calm voice "I know you just left me at Disney Castle, but somehow I was warped back here…Ganondorf…where is he? And Link?"

"Um…"

' _Not Zelda'_

She moved closer to him and he took the same amount of steps backwards. "…Your triforce mark…is it glowing?"

"Please see for yourself, from underneath her cloak she brought out a thick book and the moment it was opened, pages began to fly out. This was all unexpectedly halted when dark key-blade protruded from her chest. Imparting an evil look at him, the illusion's form flickered and dissolved.


	44. Chapter 40: Goodbye, golden days

A/N: Back with another chapter people. And heartfelt gratitude to the two loyal reviewers :) Thank you so much

Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ nor KH

* * *

Chapter 40: Goodbye, golden days

As Zexion melted away, Riku gave a lopsided grin and turned to survey the condition of the battle field. All the nobodies were dealt with and only Xehanort remained behind, his one arm behind his back and a twisted smile on his face. Most of the key-bladers glared at him with utmost hate.

"You…almost ruined our futures…" Terra began, he gripped his key-blade strongly "you almost killed Master Eraqus…you used us."

"It's what he does" Roxas spat "don't let that get to you"

Next to Sora, Riku made subtle movements, although the first knight was no genius, he knew perfectly what his best friend meant. The duo split and creeped around Xehanort, who was (most probably) distracted by the flood of insults he received from others, once in position, they attacked.

Alas, the old man chose the exact moment to disappear.

Two key-blades clanged and their owners drew away.

"He vanished…how typical of him" Riku commented, sweeping his gaze around to see if the baldy had perhaps teleported anywhere nearby, seeing no sign of him, he dispelled his key-blade and ripped the space, opening a dark corridor.

"Terra, Lea, we have to return. Xehanort is on the loose and we have to track him down. Let's go." And without waiting for a reply he walked. The two, sporting sullen expressions, haltingly followed him whilst Ven and Roxas pouted.

* * *

"They left…" chorused the twins gloomily, each referring to Terra and Lea.

"Who? Terra? No way! I wanted to see him!" exclaimed Zack heatedly.

The knights collapsed where they stood, they were waiting for Impa who had chased Ganondorf into Hyrule Castle. Most of them where severely injured and Sora went about handing out his free potions and healing those who sported grave injuries.

"He healed me" Aqua added.

 _She's blushing_ Link noted, _and who is this Terra and why is he so popular?_ His eyes locked on to Zack who was ideal for questioning, but wait, what if he asks why Link wanted to know?

"He has barricaded himself in the castle" the second knight's voice brought Link out of his conflicted ruminations. She appeared in a stream of shadows and sat down on the ground with a thump. "Master Sora what should we do? And more importantly, how is Princess Zelda?"

"Zelda's fine, it'll take something like the end of the world to bring down Disney Castle…anyway, we have a problem…our knight's chamber is no longer usable…"

Those who knew Sora smirked at his words, those who thought of him as the leader of the Master Knights, gaped at his uncharacteristic words.

"Where are the sages of light?" he further questioned his second in command.

"I'm not sure sir, if I may ask: Do you need them for anything?"

"We need to seal Hyrule Castle from the rest of Hyrule; I need them to put up an impenetrable barrier…In case Ganondorf gets second thoughts and decides to come out of the castle and attack. For everyone's safety…Link, is your wounds okay?"

"Yes Sire" stammered the third knight.

"I see, then I'll be off in search of the-"

"I'll go" cut in Ashei. "I wasn't attacked harshly yeah so I still have energy, sit tight, I'll be back in a moment." Together with Sheikha the two knights left in search for the sages of light.

While everyone was waiting and Sora was pacing up and down the road a sudden thought came to him and he stopped; eyes growing wide with horror, Cloud, ever the perceptive one, noticed his discomfort first.

"Is there something wrong?" the blonde questioned and the knights looked in their leader's direction

"Vanitas…" he warbled "I forgot about Vanitas when this invasion started…I need to go to him" without further ado he took off at breakneck speed at the direction of his mansion. A thousand thoughts swirled around his head as he ran:

'Dear goddesses, please, _please_ don't let anything happen to him' he prayed.

Buildings and bewildered citizens flashed past, but he took no note of them. Finally he located the mansion's front door and tried to open it. It was locked. Deciding that going to the back door would be too time consuming, he summoned his key-blade and attempted to unlock it.

It didn't work.

"What, this key-blade only works on magical locks?" he mused "how stupid!" Taking the tested route, he simply broke the expensive door down and stumbled all the way to Vanitas' room.

Blood was rushing around his head.

On opening the door, he stopped cold. The huge windows were broken, littering the floor with shards of glass, furniture was scratched and the entire room was scorched.

Burnt.

Black.

On the far corner, bent underneath a table and shielded with a chair lay Vanitas. Unmoving.

Mechanically stepping forward, he removed the chair and gently dragged his brother out.

"Vanitas…Vanitas hey!" Sora called and shook but with no response, he took a good look at his sibling and saw him wearing his battle suit, automatically his fingers reached for a pulse and for a sickening moment he felt nothing…then slowly he felt a feeble throb.

He was alive.

Barely.

With trembling limbs, the first knight retrieved one of his prized hyper potions and unscrewed the cap. Shakily he poured the contents down Vanitas' agape mouth and waited for a reaction. Of course, deep down he expected nothing, till now, no healing aids worked on Vanitas and he was sure nothing would. Despite having a promising career ahead of himself, the second son would forever stay like this. Crippled.

Thanks to Xehanort.

Hatred made Sora grit his teeth. How far would the old man go before he was satisfied? What did he want anyway? The prince's normally neutral expression twisted into something ugly.

"Iffff your'r gonna make such an ugly face…mmI'd rather not wake up" slurred Vanitas and Sora jerked.

It worked.

It WORKED!

"Do you want another potion? Here" he forced another bottle down Vanitas' throat who spat half the concoction back in his elder brother's face.

Regardless of his face being covered in greenish liquid the first knight eagerly asked:

"How are you feeling?"

"Like crap" came the listless answer "a few monsters came in through here and I almost died trying to take care of them."

"I see…thank goodness nothing happened to you. Jeez I almost had a heart attack myself when I saw you laying there underneath the table…anyway, I'm taking you with me to where the rest are, it's much safer there. Since you are able to wield Void gear, I'll take you to Disney Castle tomorrow and ask Riku to train you"

"Fine…whatever…carry me"

"Hold on tight." Securing the ungrateful adolescent on his back, he jumped out of the window and began returning to the circle of knights.

"Slow dowwnnn" Atop Sora's back Vanitas groaned "are you trying to snap the rest of my bones or something?"

"Nope!" chirped Sora "besides they aren't as fragile anymore, I'm I correct?"

The black haired noble refused to answer, nevertheless his elder brother did slacken down and it gave Vanitas a chance to view his surroundings. Having been cooped up in the house for such a long time, it was a treat to be outside. As the duo came closer to designated spot, the twins sprang up from the dirt and rushed towards them. Similarly, several knights came over and even though Vanitas will deny it from the bottom of his heart. He felt warm.

He was happy to be amongst them once again.

* * *

"Arbiter's grounds?" Ashei quizzed as the masked knight had warped them here.

"Yes, you fill find them in the mirror chamber here" The masked warrior replied and began climbing the steps.

"Mirror chamber yeah?" the sixth knight was still confused.

"An extra chamber located above Arbiter's grounds, in ancient times it was used to house gladiators between condemned criminals and it served as a gate way to the Twilight realm, since then the mirror has been broken and now it houses the sages."

"Right yeah…let's find them."

The two female knights climbed to the top of the chamber and sure enough, Ashei beheld the atrium. Located on the far side of the entrance was a raised podium, Sheikha purposefully made her way there, once they climbed the worn steps the sages of light shimmered into the visible spectrum.

"Master Sora requires your assistance" the ninja spoke.

"We do not answer summons from anyone else other than princess Zelda" they replied back, Ashei clenched her fists in anger.

"Yeah! Well Princess Zelda is not here" she hissed "Master Sora took her to a different dimension to save her from being killed yeah! The least you could do is help him…and besides he is the prince. Princess Zelda's _husband_ , I'm sure the princess will not be pleased yeah if you ignored imperial orders! So get to work yeah!"

Behind her face coverings Sheikha smiled, the sages of light were fidgeting awkwardly.

"Fine, we will answer Master Sora's summons. This is the first and last.

"Thank you, we are very grateful for your help" The two females bowed and the sages dispersed into fragments of light. Holding Ashei, they warped back to Castle Town.

"So…did you find them" The first knight immediately questioned.

"They are on their way, please don't worry" as Sheikha answered him the sages materialized in front of them. Sora took them aside and explained their task:

"I want to construct an impregnable barrier around Hyrule castle. Currently Ganondorf has taken over the palace and put a seal around it making it impossible for us to get in. We have to make it impossible for him to get out as well, in case he loses his sense of purpose and goes for Link's head. I can't have the bearer of courage dying on my watch so please, I need your help."

The sages looked at each other, hummed (moaned?) and finally nodded their heads in agreement. Thereafter the first and second in command, along with the sages departed in the direction of the castle.

"Sit tight. We're having a meeting after the barrier is constructed" Commanded the knights' leader as he left.

"Seriously yeah? In this dirt? Well whatever, I'm tir-" The seventh ranked knight's mutterings were cut short by an enraged snarl.

"What…did I hear correctly…the peasant…him, he took my ranking?" Vanitas, despite his injuries, seethed. "I'm going to grind your bones into dust…I'll kill you!"

"Vanitas relax will you" Aqua soothed "in your current condition you will be the one turning into dust"

Harsh words but true.

"Master Sora took an aptitude test and decided our new rankings from there, by the way Aqua still retained her fourth ranking and I'm fifth, pretty cool huh?" Zack said with grin on his face.

"No one cares about you, you moron" Zack's grin slid off "an aptitude test…then who is the tenth knight?"

Link who had been sitting with them originally scooted a bit further off when Vanitas started whaling on him. His ears twitched, no, he was definitely no imagining the slight quiver in the noble's tone.

"I am the tenth knight. My name is Cloud, it is a pleasure to meet you." Vanitas found himself involuntarily shaking hands with a spiky haired blonde, if he was any weaker, a grip with this man would've shattered all the bones in his hand up till his wrist.

Power, Cloud radiated power.

Was his fate sealed? Then what was the purpose of his training? At the rate he is recovering, beating the tenth rank was out of the question, not to mention the other knights. He was aware of Link's remarkable growth in strength and it made him jealous.

Jealousy, a feeling he was not accustomed to.

"Right everyone I've returned, gather around, we need to discuss future prospects. Vanitas, sit next to me, I don't want anyone accidentally breaking you" His big brother had returned and issued orders, people shuffled around him, getting up and repositioning themselves around the leading knight.

'I don't want anyone accidentally breaking you'

How fragile.

How pathetically delicate.

Raising himself up, he went over and slumped next to his brother and was bordered by Roxas and Ventus who took care not to sit too close to him. Sora began his briefing:

"As you can all perceive, I've sealed the castle from the outside as well. From this day onwards, none of us can enter the castle, especially you Link, do not go anywhere near it" the Hylian nodded "furthermore, since our base of operations had been sabotaged and the knights no longer have living quarters, you are required to go home and comm-"

Cue Ashei's disruption.

"Master Sora, I live in Snowpeak yeah, you can't expect me to travel all the way from there every single day do you? Do I need to remind you that I can't warp? Nor do I have a horse like Link? Or a bike like those spiky haired duo over there? No I don't. Please be more considerate towards us commoners yeah."

A few murmurings broke out as Zack, Aqua and Cloud, who lived in other dimensions, agreed.

"Fine, stay in Inns, there are plenty in Castle town"

"You think rupees are found in grass yeah? My knight's salary goes as support for my parents yeah"

"Then I'll pay for you!" the first knight's voice was growing in pitch.

"And how many of us are you going to support yeah? You can't use the citizen's rupees for this! And who knows how long the castle is gonna be on a lock down yeah!"

"FINE!" he finally screeched and the surrounding knights shuffled backwards "my mansion…the new base of operations and your new living quarters will be our Mansion" he uttered tersely.

Unseen by the rest, the twins beamed happily.


	45. Chapter 41: Chaos in Kingdom's House

A/N: Whew...All the fighting is getting hectic no? Here's a breather chapter. Virtual chocolate cookies (not any old cookies...CHOCOLATE) to AFredToThePast9 for the wonderful reviews and questions...they are appriciated. And without further ado, read on people and drop a line of your thoughts.

Disclaimer: No, no, NO! I'm not the owner of two multi national franchises...I'd at least be famous you know.

* * *

Chapter 41: Chaos in the House of Kingdom

Vanitas held the wooden railing of the stairs firmly and took steady measured steps downwards, since yesterday; their quiet mansion had been transformed as the new headquarters. There was a cacophony as people argued where they would sleep, what they would wear, which bathroom they will be using and so forth, it gave him and his elder sibling a headache, never mind the twins, they seemed to enjoy the fact and it was clearly shown in the way they joined in the ruckus last night. As punishment for all of them, Sora had casted sleep on the majority of the knights and they all keeled over on the spot in the huge lounge on the first floor. Roxas and Ventus were dragged into their rooms and told not to come out unless they were given permission. When the noise died down, he had drifted off into a fitful slumber and had woken up before his brothers. Hungry and not in the mood to wait for Sora, he stepped out of bed and made his way to the kitchen and paused.

Congregating around a framed picture of his brother sporting some unholy garments were a couple of knights, namely Zack, Cloud (who looked pretty disturbed by the frills), Ashei, the peasant who stole his ranking and Auru.

"Is that Master Sora yeah…someone help me I'm dying!" the spunky female choked on her laughter whilst pointing at the image, several others joined in her chuckles as well and a wide smile stretched on Link's face. Laughter and smile all disappeared when the image spontaneously burst into black flames, a moment later a black pile of ashes were heaped on the spotless floor before them. The knights' heads turned as one to observe Vanitas hobbling towards them, his pale face set in the usual arrogant sneer.

Not a word was uttered as the members meekly sat themselves around the dining table.

"If you want breakfast, serve yourself" the noble spoke and plopped down in his chair breathing a bit heavily "and Link…get me some food."

"The Hylian had just grabbed a plate and was about to get something to eat since he was familiar with his surroundings, however, Vanitas' orders stopped him in his tracks.

"Why should Link get your food for you Vans?" a sleepy voice entered the scene and in walked the mansion's master while stifling a yawn. "If you aren't strong enough to get your own food then there is no point in sending you off for training." The people around the table watched with fascination as their leader assembled a nutritious breakfast for his younger sibling, although their opinion of him was high, it now soared to greater heights.

"Here, eat" another yawn "I'm going to fetch Roxas and Ventus, the rest of you help yourselves, since we are too many people I've dismissed the servants therefore it is up to us to keep this area clean."

More knights poured in the kitchen and other scrambled to get their preferred food articles ready, amidst all this, the black haired noble watched while eating his food in a content manner. Wary of his sporadic outbursts, Link gingerly sat next to him and began eating; he was joined by Impa, Ashei and Sheikha. Eyes going over the room he observed the untarnished kitchen slowly turning filthy. Living together is going to be quite difficult, the bearer of courage deliberated.

"Whoa!" Ashei exclaimed "High quality stuff yeah, tastes good!"

At least the food was excellent.

Once breakfast was over the first knight…forced them to shower.

He forced them…

…to shower.

"Unexpectedly strict" Cloud muttered as he leaned against the bathroom door. The males were all forced to use one bathroom whilst the females were given the use of all the other facilities in the mansion. Link didn't mind bathing early in the morning but it seems some clearly had problems.

"This is abuse!" Zack stomped his boots on the floor "I feel like I'm doing Soldier duty again! Seriously, I want my freedom back!" he shivered and put on his clothes, thus it took the entire morning to eat, wash and assemble in the huge lounge where a long rectangular table and eleven chairs were placed. Eyes closed and cheek resting on a fist, sat Sora at the head of the table; he had recreated the atmosphere in the knight's chamber.

How…diligent of him.

The knights went to their respective seats and sat down, a bit disorientated by new experiences, Link had forgotten his new ranking and both he and Cloud pulled the last chair simultaneously.

"Sorry" apologized Link, he made his way to the third seat and found Vanitas' golden irises following him, ignoring the killing intent, he sat down and listened to the first knight as he issued orders to scout other provinces for vestiges of Ganondorf's invading army. Some knights were put on guard duty around areas in Castle town, Impa was given the task to visit neighboring countries and inform them of the predicament. Currently the situation is under control.

Somewhat.

As chairs creaked and the members got up to go about their daily duties Link heard his superior asking him to stay behind. The room emptied out save for the two of them. Not even Vanitas nor the twins were around.

"Sit closer" Sora commanded.

Feeling a knot in his stomach and knowing _exactly_ what was coming his way, he moved closer and sat in Impa's place.

"You knew about the invasion didn't you? She…Zelda told you right?"

The Master sword wielder's shoulders sagged.

"Yes…sire. The princess told me not to tell anyone. She said it was our responsibility to bring down Ganondorf…I wasn't sure whether to tell you or not sir, on one hand you are my commander, on the other hand Princess Zelda specifically told me not to mention this to anyone. Pardon me if I-"

The prince cut in Link's ramblings.

"No it's okay, I simply wanted to make sure if you knew, the day of the invasion you looked positively horrified so I had an inkling…well never mind, Zelda is the bearer of wisdom, she knows what is best for us. Speaking of which, I'm going to visit her at Disney Castle, would you like to come?"

"I'd like to accompany you, unfortunately I turn into a wolf in outer worlds and I don't want the princess to get a shock."

"She won't, besides she already knows about your beast state" Sora looked upwards to see Vanitas making his way in, "good timing Vanitas, let's leave together, chances are Riku is still at Disney Castle, I'll find him and saddle him with you. That sounds good enough?"

"Yes, whatever…just…visit me…and often." The adolescent harshly mumbled and Link stared, something in his brain clicked.

Vanitas was both a mama's boy and had a bad case of big brother complex.

"Gape at me any longer and you won't have any eyeballs to gape with" the dark key-blader growled and stepped into a swirling vortex of darkness.

* * *

Queen Minnie was surprised to see Sora, his younger brother and a large wolf come out of a dark corridor and into the audience chamber, she was just about to head to the library and had stopped here to convey some news to Daisy. However upon spying them, she made her way to the little group. Sora stood around and appeared to be looking for something.

"Are you looking for Mickey" the queen enquired glancing quickly at the large shadow beasts patiently sitting near Sora's oversized shoes.

"Not actually" he answered "have you seen Riku? I have a favor to ask of him."

"He is currently assigned to keep an eye on Master Xehanort, his shift ends soon so perhaps you can wait for him? And who is this?" she inclined her head towards Link.

"Our pet wolf" Vanitas answered and the wolf growled lightly "looks handsome doesn't he?"

Queen Minnie smiled as a response; she never knew Sora was into keeping such dangerous pets.

Feeling that it would be quite bothersome to talk about the sacred beast's true identity in front of Vanitas, Sora merely sighed and kept silent.

"By the way, where is Zelda? Is she okay?" at the first knight's question, Link also pricked his ears.

"Yes" Minnie answered "she is in the library, do you want to see her?"

"I'm going to explore the place" the black haired adolescent declared and excused himself.

"Yeah." Sora scratched the back of his head "I need to tell her about Hyrule's condition"

With Link hot on their trail, the trio made their way to the library. It was a large space decorated by plush arm chairs, polished wooden tables and brass reading lamps. Lining the space was an array of bookshelves holding books in a vast number of subjects, History, Magic, Combat, Weaponries, Mathematics, they were all here. Careful not to make sound, Sora and Link stepped into the space warily, the library was empty save for a lone woman sitting at a table piled high with books, immersed in her reading, she did not notice the new comers.

"Princess, these two would like to seek an audience with you" Minnie announced and after giving a curtsy she walked away into another section.

"Zelda, are you doing okay?" Link's ears twitched at his leader's words, the concern in them was tangible. The princess muttered a short reply and her gaze landed on Link, crouching down she began to ruffle his fur in a comforting manner.

"So you've come as well" she spoke softly, patting his fur in long even strokes "is Hyrule safe?" she looked up directing a question to Sora.

Said person stood there mouth slightly open at the princess' behavior. She was caressing Link! Even if he appears to be a large friendly dog, he's still human! More importantly why didn't he receive such treatment?

Scratch the thought, his mind supplied.

"About Hyrule…" he told her the current condition of her beloved world. As if coming to terms with the shocking news she slowly stood up and clasped her hands in front of her, listening to Sora's words with every fiber of her being. Blue eyes peered into blue eyes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make things any better. For now, I've deployed knights around Castle town and to other provinces both as guards and to rely information about Ganondorf. I know this is contrary to what you would normally do, but keeping the citizen's in the dark is not an option anymore."

She stared at the floor and Sora stared at her. Link felt uncomfortable in their presence and flattened his ears against his head.

"So I won't be able to return…am I correct?"

"No…It's not safe" the prince turned his face.

"Even with you and all the knights around?" Zelda pleaded.

"As always my answer remains the same: No"

The Hylian knight was not sure what carried more tension, the current atmosphere between the prince and princess of Hyrule or the battlefield he fought in three days ago. Tension was so thick, it could be cut apart with his Master Sword. Both were unhappy with their circumstances and both were definitely in pain. They were pushing each other and trying to reach an impasse yet it seems it was a victory for the commander of knights.

"I haven't met a man as stubborn as you" The princess finally sighed and sat in a chair "you always get your way" she frowned lightly, her forehead creasing. Her voice was not strained anymore and she only made a childish remark.

The wielder of Kingdom key blew out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He'd managed to get over the most difficult hurdle. Folding his hands behind his head he strolled over and plopped down on a chair opposite Zelda and watched her with a wide grin on his face. Reaching out, he took a few books off the table and scanned their titles, a small confused pout forming on his face.

"You like reading don't you" he commented and set the books back carefully, he himself was no avid reader although he was forced to read to keep up his façade of a noble. Having nothing to do and resumed his earlier task of watching Zelda.

By now Link was really uneasy, even though the frosty princess appeared calm, his sharp vision had picked out a slight stain of pink on her cheeks, she was getting flustered. In order to hide his embarrassment and to distract himself, Link started grooming his fur and shuffling away from them.

He didn't want to be an intruder.

Turning tail, he was about to head out when his head collided with Vanitas' legs. The irate brunette staggered backwards and fell spectacularly on his rear. Glowering, he got back up, imparted a haughty glare and kept on marching to where his big brother would most probably be. A few minutes later laughter erupted from inside and both members of the house of Kingdom came out. One with a spring in his step, the other grinding his teeth so loudly Link's ears hurt.

"Come on Vans, I was only touching her face" Sora merrily stated.

"There is something _really_ wrong with your head if you think you can do that in public" the younger male hissed.

"We were al-"

"Shut it! I don't want to hear anything anymore you useless idiot of an older brother!"

"So Sora is now a useless idiot I take it?" Another male joined their conversation.

"Ah Riku…" The first knight called "Can you do me a favor, please?"

"If it's about training Vanitas he already told me and I accepted it." Riku smiled genially.

"I see. Then thanks, I can't think of anyone better to ask, make sure he grows nicely." Seizing his best friend's hand he drew him away from Vanitas and whispered the last part "If possible I want him fully recovered as soon as possible so I can have him on my team when we go exploring the City in the Sky…don't tell him I said this, it'll go to his head."

The silver haired male nodded.

"Then I'll leave you in his care. Vans, don't give your master a hard time you hear me? And make sure to eat well, I'll visit as often as I can." Waving to his brother and friend he walked through the portal and vanished.

Suddenly feeling alone, Vanitas observed the path fading into non-existence.


	46. Chapter 42: Equilibrium

A/N: Much thanks to AFredToThePast9 for the constant reviews. It is a huge motivating factor. Please read and review...eh, I'm really tired today

Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ nor Kingdom hearts

* * *

Chapter 42: Equilibrium

Riku and Vanitas faced each other with hard, determined glares. Well the glaring was more from Vanitas' part and to keep up with the intense air; Riku was forced to participate as well. The silver haired male took a good look at his student. Despite appearing tough on the exterior, his eyes told a different story, confusion swam in them and fear, most probably the fear of failing. His handsome face had become jaunty and angular and the clothes hung a little too loose on him. Riku was glad he was not seeing the skeleton version of Vanitas again. One look at the adolescent had his nights plagued with nightmares. If things were different…no, he did want to pursue that line of thought.

"You still look terrible" he said "are you sure you want to train? I will not go easy on you even though you are Sora's brother"

"And you look ugly as ever," came Vanitas' spitting reply "why'd you cut your hair? I actually liked it long."

Riku groaned. Training was going to be difficult.

With a disturbing grin the black haired noble materialized his key-blade and rushed to Riku. The aquamarine eyed man was about to summon Way to dawn but he stopped, the dark energy spilling from Vanitas was erratic, it didn't flow out of him in a steady stream, rather it poured out of him. Sidestepping, he avoided Vanitas' initial lunge and disarmed him, thereafter a sharp blow to the back of his student's neck was aimed at clearing his head, instead, Riku ended up putting too much pressure and cracking a bone instead. The adolescent whirled around, clutched his nape in pain and screamed profanities. His back became rigid and he fell unconscious with his eyes glazing over. Slightly apprehensive of what he had done, the older male approached cautiously and kneeled, fingers going automatically for the pulse. A steady string of throbs assured him he was still alive.

Riku wiped sweat from his face. He'd never been so scared in his life.

* * *

Even from afar, one could see the gigantic pyramidal barrier dominating Castle town's skyline. Saddled atop Epona, Link resolutely stared at the glowing black and yellow cage and grasped the reins tighter. Master Sora had forbidden him to go anywhere near Hyrule castle for his own safety. The Hylian appreciated how thoughtful his leader was being towards him.

The situation in Hyrule was dire. Even if the dark king was imprisoned in the castle, it did not diminish the amount of monsters popping around the country and the neighboring provinces. The Zoras and Gorons had put in several requests for the guarding of their own provinces and each day several knights in rotation were dispatched around the far reaching areas to comply with their pleas. Today Link was tasked with going to Ordona Province along with Auru in order to protect it from attacks. A small stirring of happiness swirled around the pit of his stomach as he impatiently waited for the veteran knight to arrive. Coming home amidst chaos would do wonders for his soul. A while later the knight arrived, mounted on a stallion and the duo set off across the fields of Hyrule and into the small province of Ordona. Whipping out his bow and arrow, Link aimed carefully and shot down any shadow creatures he encountered in his path. Ordona was special; he won't let a single beast thrive in this peaceful place. Seeing the conviction on the heroe's face a small smile spread bloomed on the eighth ranked knights face and he muttered to himself:

"Hmm, maybe I should retire. Best to leave the future to people like _him_."

Inside Castle town the guards were agitated, due to unforeseen circumstances…Actually, the circumstances were pretty clear, with the princess missing and presumably in another dimension, Hyrule Castle in lockdown and the prestigious Master Knights joining in on their rounds, it was pretty clear that something grave had happened in this country. Not to mention the huge glowing pyramid. Casting a wary look at the imposing structure, the guards marched along behind their leader and a Master knight, under usual conditions, this would be a glorified experience, now, the vice captain of the guards merely felt insulted. The knights were rubbing it in their faces that they alone were not capable of protecting Hyrule. Adjusting his helmet, the vice glowered at the female knight. Short blue hair, a kind visage and a pleasant voice…Maybe he will tolerate them, out of the goodness of his heart, more importantly the captain of the guards, Rusl, seemed to be having an intense conversation with the knight as they marched through the town.

"How is Link doing?"

"He has settled in well. I think Master Sora has a bit of a soft spot for him." Aqua answered with a polite smile.

"Really…that is great to hear. At least now I'm satisfied Link's skills aren't going to waste." Rusl stated "Can he keep up with the other knights?"

The question surprised the fourth knight.

"Haven't you heard? Link has been promoted to third rank."

The older man raised his eyebrows in surprise and he momentarily stopped, regaining composure, he continued walking ahead.

"No. Although with all the disturbances around Hyrule and both of us busy with duties, he probably didn't have a chance to speak with me." Taking a deep breath the carried on "I'm so proud of him, I think of him as my own son you know. His father was a very respectable person. I hope to emulate him."

An amiable silence fell and Aqua listened to the chatter of people on the streets. It seems they had overcome their fear and were now living life…or they had simply accepted and adapted and were trying to live even with the threat of death hanging over them. Just as she turned a corner in tandem with Rusl, she spied the second commander of the knights walking out of the direction of the castle.

Impa re-sheathed her sword and stepped away from the barrier. Sora had ordered her to test the barricade each day for signs of disintegration. So far, it had withstood all attacks she unleashed upon it. Satisfied with her daily observation, she stepped out into the central square and waited for Sheikha to appear. Within moments, the masked warrior made an appearance.

"Report, make it quick." She droned.

"You sound like Master Sora" the ninja smiled "…The Hidden village is still safe. I've managed to coax some of the original inhabitants back to the area, most of the warriors had also returned. This time our grandmother had decreed to leave the village open to public. Aside from that, Lake Hylia is overflowing with monsters, something must be done or else water flow to Castle town will be restricted and in severe cases cut off."

The second knight groaned inaudibly, things were just getting worse. As she contemplated who to send, Zack and Cloud crossed her vision.

"I understand the situation, you may leave. Before you go, I want you to summon the fifth and tenth knight."

Sheikha disappeared and Impa watched her relay the message to the two males. They came over, weaving through the crowds.

"Sheikha said you have a mission for us" Zack stated cheerfully.

"Yes I do" the female knight spoke "monsters are clogging up Lake Hylia, I want you two do something about it or else you won't have water for your morning shower." She imparted a dry smile. Standing to attention and saluting, Zack and Cloud departed. They exited Castle town through the western gate and climbed on the G-bike. Strapping on helmets, the duo sped off to Lake Hylia. Locating a patch of dry ground that was near the lake, Zack asked Cloud to slow down and stop. Stepping off the bike, the fifth knight drew his Buster sword and after giving it a fancy twirl, he plunged it halfway into the water. Cloud watched him with a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Zack…what are you doing?"

"Ridding the lake of monsters" came the reply.

"Yes I know…but _what_ are you doing?" the blonde insistently questioned again. He respected Zack more than anyone else, however, at times it was difficult to fathom what went through his friend's head.

"Well, you know water is a powerful conductor of electricity right? So if I immerse my sword in this area and have it discharge lightning the water will let the electricity flow to great distances and in the process a huge number of monsters will die. This method is both effective and creative" the brunette declared with a puffed chest and a wide grin.

He has a point, mused Cloud, unfortunately, Zack overlooked one vital thing.

"You will be killing all other life in the lake as well" the mercenary intoned.

"Man Cloud! Do you have to remind me of every single flaw in my plan!" the soldier let out a huff "if Link were here, he'd just change into his blue costume and flippers and dive right in. Aqua can make barriers. I can't fight underwater without oxygen…anyway, let's head to Zora's domain, perhaps Prince Ralis can help us with our predicament."

And they left.

* * *

Vanitas' eyes focused on blurry surroundings, pushing himself off the ground, his hand went immediately to the back of his neck. It felt like it was on fire.

"You almost killed me!" He hurled his words at the silver haired male sitting a few meters away from him.

"Sorry, if you want to cancel training I will understand." Riku spoke with guilt, it was true. He _almost did kill_ Vanitas.

Gingerly rotating his head, the adolescent sprang up and motioned Riku to do the same. Warily, the male did so and watched the noble summon his weapon once again.

"Doesn't matter" he said "if I'm going to go down with a measly chop on the neck, I might as well die; it's a sin to be this powerless."

The key-blade master did not call forth his weapon. Vanitas' words stung deeply, if that is how the adolescent viewed himself, then it was high time his thinking processes were changed for the better.

"Dispel your key-blade" Riku commanded and sat back down "today, you will be meditating"

Vanitas was aghast.

Meditation?

 _Meditation?_

He looked at his mentor with scorn

"Yes, meditation Vanitas. Your big brother also looked at me the same way you did when I proposed the idea to him. It seems you siblings can't sit still. Anyway, did you notice how your dark energy flows from you? I suppose not, right now you are expending a vast amount of energy to do a single task and this is one of your reasons why you are so tired. It makes sense why your darkness is acting up, your subconscious terror of Ganondorf is constantly putting you on guard, hence the reaction. Your first priority is to tame your energy and you can only do so via meditation. Once you get your darkness under control instead of letting it run rampant, you will automatically become much stronger and you will pass the first phase of my training. So I suggest you get to work" As he finished speaking, Riku's communication device beeped.

Throwing a glance at his obviously unhappy student who was sitting on the floor, Riku took a few steps back and answered the device, after exchanging a few words with the person on the other end he spoke up:

"I need to go, it's my time to keep an on Xehanort…and you better take your training seriously. Sora believes in you." Saying those words the man disappeared leaving a brooding Vanitas behind. Taking a deep breath he forced himself to concentrate.

In the library Zelda was running a finger along the spines of a number of thick books. She was trying to distract herself from worrying about Hyrule by immersing herself in ancient tomes. Pulling out a few ancient books, she staggered under their weight and shifted to her designated spot, however one of the topmost books wobbled dangerously and the whole load leaned one way and crashed to the floor. Taking a deep breath and praying none would walk in, she daintily set the remaining books on the table and bent down to pick the fallen volumes up. Someone else had also reached down to assist her and she had no doubt on the identity of the person. Straightening up, she posed the question she'd been posing every single day.

Tirelessly.

"How is Hyrule's condition?"

"Still the same"

"It is not getting worse?"

The first knight scratched the back of his head.

"Actually yes…it has." He admitted

"…How is Link?" she fired unceasingly.

"He is doing fine and taking his work properly. I dispatched to Ordona today with Auru for a change of pace." Sora replied to all her questions unflinchingly.

"Are _you_ okay?" Deep down, Zelda was happy he asked.

He truly, genuinely cared for her wellbeing.

In order to assure him she smiled.

"Yes…although I feel imprisoned being in this place the whole time, though I must be appreciative since it is for my safety…" She briefly wondered if the man standing in front of her would care this much if she was an ordinary person. All her life she was given top priority for everything because of her twin statuses of being the Princess of Hyrule and the bearer of the triforce of wisdom.

Gritting her teeth, she decided to ask.

"Sora, why do you care so much?"

"Why?...why…isn't it obvious?" he grinned.

"Because I'm a princess?" she wished she was wrong.

"Nope" he blurted out "er…actually yes, that is one of the reasons, but the main reason is because you are special to me."

She spun around fast in order to cover her blushing face.

"Did I say something wrong?" the key-blader behind her puzzled. He was about to move forward when King Mickey came into the library.

"Sora! There you are, hurry up, we are about to having a meeting to discuss battle tactics on how to put down Xehanort and Ganondorf."

Zelda's earlier elation evaporated and she hurriedly enquired to have a place in the meeting as well.

The audience chamber had fewer members today, Sora mused, seeing two of his good friends sitting at the table he sped up and sat down next to them. Before long the trio consisting of Donald, Goofy and Sora were trading stories of their journey across the different worlds. Affected by the ambient atmosphere, Zelda sat down next to the prince and listened attentively. A few minutes later Queen Minnie, Daisy Duck and Mickey joined the ranks and the meeting initialized.

"Ganondorf hasn't done anything drastic yet and the barrier shows no signs of disintegration" Sora reported first.

"Won't now be a good time to counter attack?" Donald piped up.

"No." The princess refuted "only Link and I together can bring him down once and for all. In order to do so, he must get all the weapons of the Hero of time located in various temples and shrines across Hyrule. Sora…how many temples are left?"

"Only one, the city in the sky. Link has filled the sky book, I'm just waiting for Shad to decipher the wordings then I'll be able to lead an expedition."

"Then what should we do about Xehanort?" Mickey asked.

"Leave Xehanort to me and the key-blade wielders…he needs to pay for what he has done to us" the wielder of Kingdom key's words was grave "this time, I'll make sure he does not come back."

The audience chamber had become as quiet as the Key-blade graveyard. _  
_


	47. Chapter 43: Scents of the seashore

A/N: Okay readers, I'm so sorry for being absent for so long. Basically I blame my absence on a combination of no electricity, internet, storms, raining mangoes and me having the mother of all headaches. Oh and laziness, there's that too (and zilch motivation) Anyway, much thanks to AFredToThePast9 for the constant reviews and to Espada-001 for following my story (loving the user name, I'm a huge fan of Bleach).

Disclaimer: Oh Yeah! I own everything! *Gets whacked on the head by the game gods* I'm sorry, I won't tell lies again.

* * *

Chapter 43: Scents of the seashore

Sora watched the princess' dejected face and picked his brain apart. He was thinking about ways to make her happier, withholding information about Hyrule's current state of affairs made her angry so he had to completely honest about it. Unfortunately after hearing news of her coveted world, it would seem as if life drained out of her, she'd trudge back to her little space, open a book and read. If he had time, he'd join her. Sometimes he'd read a book, other times he'd simply watch her and on rare occasions, when he was feeling particularly bold, he'd reach out and brush her flaxen strands away from her face. And her cheeks would turn pink.

He lived for those moments.

Today, he brooded, racking his head; instinctively he grasped his hair and pulled it. Against all odds, he had a brainwave. He sat up abruptly and the Zelda looked up from her manuscript with a questioning gaze.

"I was wondering if you want to go to Destiny Islands for a few days, I admit, if I was cooped up in one place, I'd probably go crazy. Dad is a formidable key-blader himself so you will be somewhat safe there. Remember this is only a temporary fix, you can't stay there forever."

Her face had lighted up to a remarkable degree and she elegantly closed her book. A demure smile worked across her features and in response to her noticeable happiness, Sora's heart throbbed happily. Taking her hand firmly, he opened a dark corridor and they both traversed it. In the silent library, one of the tomes Sora was reading, which was placed on a wobbling tower of books, slid to the floor with a heavy thump.

A sea breeze whipped back Zelda's hair and she breathed in salt tinged air. She stood transfixed at the edge of the shore and beheld the vast, wide sea. Waves rolled in an out in a rhythmically comforting manner and she took steps backwards in order to avoid getting her feet wet. Instead of doing the same, Sora let the cold water wash over his shoes and he laughed.

The laugh probably came involuntarily, nevertheless hearing it was liberating. He turned his head backwards and smiled, slowly his eyes drifted to a point beyond her and widened. Zelda, curiosity overcoming her, looked backwards as well and in doing so observed a woman, with red hair making her way towards the beach and waving enthusiastically. She broke into a run and her face too, was stretched into a beautiful smile.

"Sora!" She greeted and halted in front of them "it's so nice to see you. I'm glad you visit here from time to time. I heard from your parents about Vanitas, is he okay? Thank goodness you look much better since I last saw you" her voice radiated warmth and Sora replied in kind. There was no tension between these two, the princess noted, unconsciously she took a few steps back in order to give them space.

"Oh yeah!" the brunette exclaimed "let me introduce to you Zelda, she…" his words were cut off as Kairi pushed him aside and performed a curtsy, with a polite grin the aristocrat returned the favor, bowing respectfully.

"You are so beautiful" the red head gasped "I always had a feeling that princess would be a bit helpless but Riku told me you can fight with both a bow and a sword." Kairi's eyes were full of admiration.

"Allow me to introduce you to Kairi, she is my other best friend along with Riku, Goofy, Donald…it seems like I have a lot of best friends" Sora chuckled childishly.

'Best friend? Or something more?' Zelda wondered why her assumptions made her uncomfortable.

"So princess…"

"Please call me Zelda" the princess intoned "I'd like us to be friends"

Behind the two females Sora plopped down on the sand and sighed, he was glad the two were getting along well. He took a peek at them and saw how Kairi managed to make the princess smile. She had a soothing effect on people. Zelda as well, was opening up and her frosty exterior was slowly crumbling apart. He stared at the cloudless sky and a few thoughts ran through his mind. Work was piling up again since he spends most of his time on this side of the world, between visiting Vanitas, attending meetings, volunteering to keep a watch on Xehanort and mooning over Zelda he had little time to spend in Hyrule aside from sleeping and the daily knight's assembly where he issued orders. Today was a good day to spend catch up with his knightly duties, as his ponderings grew heavy and sleep threatened to overcome him, a sudden, unexpected question from Kairi had him sitting bolt upright.

"Did you and Princess Zelda share a paopu fruit Sora?"

"N-No!" he stammered.

Understandably and due to her thirst for knowledge the royal lady enquired what this 'paopu fruit' was. His best friend had begun explaining without missing a heartbeat and the prince jumped up in between them, arms flailing wildly and face set in a fiery shade of red.

"It's some fruit that Vanitas is really fond of, see" her forcibly piloted Zelda's attention away from Kairi and pointed at a cluster of yellow star-shaped fruit hanging from a tree. "It's delicious and I'll pick one for you, right now you have to go home since you didn't meet mom and dad and I'll return to Hyrule to finish some work waiting for me. Kairi, take her home." Feeling the crisis averted for the time being, he steered both of them to the direction of his house, waved with a silly grin and vanished through a dark corridor.

* * *

Riku observed the darkness spilling out form Vanitas, it was no more erratic and wild. Rather it flowed smoothly, fluctuating on seldom occasions. The brunette, despite his initial qualms, had put a lot of effort into the meditation training. Day in and day out, Riku would gaze upon the dark key-blader sitting alone in the room and concentrating with all his might. At least he had results for his labor. Feeling that Vanitas won't appreciate this passive training any longer, he decided to test the young male on his physical expertise. This will also be a test to gauge how much pressure Riku should exert on him, he did not want a repeat of his accident.

"Vanitas" the older male called "enough, I want to test your physical skills"

The words were barely out of his mouth when the pale faced warrior jumped up. Hands in position, he attacked.

Brutally fast.

Riku, who was quite adept in hand to hand combat had no problem dodging Vanitas' strikes, some of the more fitful ones were parried evenly, deciding he had a firm grasp on his student's skills, the aquamarine eyed man fought back. With each consecutive hit, he increased the power and pressure till Vanitas was backed into a corner. Not the one to give up so easily, the stubborn noble kept on trading blows:

Blocking,

Absorbing a punch and counter attacking.

And eventually evading all together.

His mentor only stopped when sweat shone on his face and he was visibly fatigued. As Riku drew away, he collapsed tiredly. Once again the key-blade master noticed the flow of his darkness had acted up again.

"So…how am I progressing" Vanitas asked hesitantly.

"Quite good actually" Riku evenly replied, true to Sora's words, he did not want praise inflating the ego maniac's head.

"How long till I can go back to Hyrule?"

"…"

"Are you so incompetent you can't even answer a simple question?" the black haired youth snarled. He was impatient.

"And why do you want to go back to Hyrule so badly? Did Sora promise you a knight's position?"

As expected, Riku's question quailed his arrogance.

"Well? Cat got your tongue?" the silver haired man was unrelenting.

"…No, he didn't tell me anything…" the noble mumbled, his form crumpling on itself.

"Then don't get ahead of yourself, if you train properly then you can at least impress your older brother."

"Yeah…sure"

The duo resumed training in a more subdued fashion. Riku had summoned his key-blade and was throwing lower leveled magic attacks at Vanitas whose task was to deflect them without a margin of error. It was clear the words spoken earlier had affected him as the brunette had trouble even with a lower leveled exercise.

"If you let such petty words waver your resolve, then you are more pathetic than I imagined." Riku measured his words and perceived if they had their intended effect.

They did.

With an enraged growl and renewed vigor, his student batted away the dark magic orbs being hurtled at him. Switching to higher level magic Riku watched as Vanitas summoned his own magic to try and parry some of his teacher's ones. He let some drift off course and finally he flung his key-blade, destroying all the spheres in sight. Exhausted, Void gear dispelled without its owner's consent and the wielder sat down heavily on the floor.

"Tired" he rasped "can I sleep a bit?"

"You may" His mentor smiled a bit "also, you did very good today. Sora will be happy."

A tiny grin curved on Vanitas' lips as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Sora opened the double doors to his mansion and stared.

The state of his mansion was appalling.

It was filthy!

He wasn't a clean freak but he had to keep his mansion spotless because important officials and other nobles would periodically drop by…and if they saw the condition of the Kingdom mansion now…some of the snobby aristocrats might have a heart attack and drop dead.

Then he'll be accused of murder.

The owner of the mansion stood in the foyer and seethed, he was looking for someone to unleash his fury on. Luckily the goddesses sent a sacrificial lamb:

Link.

The hero was walking across the foyer with load of dirty clothes in his arms. His hat was off, revealing a mass of messy blonde locks, his green tunic was stained and he walked bare feet, to the first knight's horror, the knight had no pants on.

"LINK!" Sora bellowed.

The third knight whipped his head and bowed immediately. He ran a hand through his uncombed hair to make it neater.

"Why don't you have any pants on?" the first knight questioned.

"They're all dirty sire…" slipped the lame excuse.

"Yes I can see, in fact the entire mansion looks like it's been housing a bunch of people who doesn't know how to keep an area clean! Where are the rest of the knights? Get them. Meeting. In the lounge. At this instant. Or else all of you will be spending your nights in the streets!" Imparting those words, the leading knight stomped off. Sheepishly, Link let his pile of dirty laundry hit the floor, then he squatted down and began searching for his pants, retrieving it, he looked at it with mild disgust.

A mixture of grass stains, monster blood and soil was splattered on it, shrugging and glancing left and right to make sure the coast was clear, he put his pants on. Thereafter he scooped up his soiled clothes and made a mad dash to the laundry room. In there he saw Zack, Cloud and Auru. All three males were in some degree of undress.

"Master Sora is back" Link announced and those words caught their attention," he wants all of us in the lounge right now for an emergency meeting, please inform the rest and get there as soon as possible or else we won't have a place to stay tonight." The three males zipped out of their room and within seconds the ten knights were assembled in the meeting room. Looking at the males gave Sora a headache.

"First of all…why on earth is my mansion this filthy?"

"It's difficult to clean up after a bunch of males sir" Sheikha spoke up, her blonde hair was tied up into a high ponytail and she had no wrappings on her face "we've been cleaning after them for a few days…then we simply gave up. The other day, they thought it was a great idea to hold an indoor bat-"

"WHAT?!" the commander shrieked "are you guys crazy?"

The guilty male members shuffled in their seats.

"That does it…Impa, you and the female knights take the day off" Sora waved his hand "and the rest of you…grab cleaning equipment, and start cleaning. I want this place spotless before nightfall. I'm having a few noble families over for dinner and I don't want them to know our Master Knights can't take care of themselves. More importantly. Roxas and Ventus, punishment time, go to your room and reflect on your acti-"

"We also want to clean as well" the twins simultaneously spoke.

The oldest sibling scrutinized his brothers who stared at him blankly. He noticed Ven was trying his best to suppress a smile.

"Fine…just get to work."

It was late afternoon, and Link was vigorously scrubbing at a stubborn stain with a mop, the rest of team mates as well, were busy cleaning the marbled floor. He was glad Master Sora had run off somewhere or else, it would be difficult to explain why his ball room wall had plaster missing.

"Uh guys…what should we do about that?" Zack pointed to a large area of the wall where the paint was scraped off.

"Cover it with a painting, use tapestries…paint it?" Auru threw various options and Cloud frowned.

They decided to go with a painting and standing on a step ladder, the spiky haired brunette hefted a life sized portrait of the Kingdom family off the wall and staggered with it, unable to hold the weight he leaned backwards, clutching the heavy image with his life and screaming, Link and Cloud abandoned their duties and rushed forward as Zack fell, they managed to cushion his fall and at the moment, the twins entered to see what the commotion is about.

"Thank goodness the painting is sa..f..e" Zack's sentence trailed off as the three of them gaped at the image.

The huge glass had cracked. All the blood drained from their faces as they heard a voice.

"Did something happen?"

It was Master Sora's voice, the voice of doom; mechanically Link's head turned and he momentarily forgot everything as he spied his leader with a broom. For some reason, the simple domestic equipment looked like weapon of mass destruction. Twittering, the twins began snagging their brother's attention and lead him away from the scene.

"We are soo dead" Zack sighed and passed out.


	48. Chapter 44: The gears keep turning

A/N: Okay people...I'm back...from the dead...again. Okay, I was away on vacation and then stuff happened. Remember the raining mangoes? Yeah, that. Anyway, without further ado, much thanks to DaniPotterLovesGod and AFredToThePast9 and Ryu Karma for reviewing/alerting the story. It motivated me to post this chapter. Please read, review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Didn't the last chapter hint at anything? No, I own nothing save for this story.

* * *

Chapter 44: The gears keep turning

"I think your training is done" Riku informed him somberly.

Vanitas glowered at him.

"It's been only a few months…how in Hyrule do you think I'm done with training? Do I look like a prodigy to you?"

"You consider yourself one" his mentor quipped, "anyway, I've reserved today to test your skills."

Fair enough…Vanitas _is a_ genius.

"Alright, make it quick, I want to go to sleep afterwards." The noble uttered.

"First things first…You are required to formally apologize to both Impa and Sheikha, or else guilt will eat you alive. I'm sure Sora will want you to do so, he believes you are mature enough to do so without him telling you."

"I know…I was planning on doing so anyway" Vanitas mumbled "so…the test?"

"I'm not the one who's going to take it" Riku said as Sora entered the training hall with his hands folded behind his back, he looked lighthearted with a goofy smile on his face, in contrast, Vanitas' heart plunged in his stomach.

It felt like his heart was being eaten alive by stomach acid.

Gross.

"Big brother is going to take my test?" he babbled "right…I've been looking forward to it."

Not.

For some reason he was terrified.

In a leisurely manner Sora summoned Kingdom key and took a basic stance. Vanitas did the same, to psych himself, he summoned his battle armor and helmet…in case.

In case.

The mock battle started, the first knight flashed to Vanitas and gripped his helmet. Images of Xehanort doing the same welled up in the adolescent's mind and he screeched unwillingly.

"Sorry, sorry" he gasped "I'm okay"

His brother and Riku traded glances. Ignoring them, he materialized his chained key-blade and lunged with a rapid fire of quick attacks, unsurprisingly Sora expertly deflected them all. Jumping a few feet back, and cloaked his blade in darkness, thereafter he charged with all his might. There was no malice in his actions; however he was determined to make an impression on his brother. Even though he felt some strain in his bones, he did not relent. Satisfied with how his assault played out, he stopped and smiled. In the next instant, the grin melted off.

Sora was bleeding from the dozen or so gashes decorating his body.

"Whoops, seems like you are starting regain your former strength." Sora chuckled. "Carry on, these wounds are nothing…had worse during my journeys and Donald refused to heal me…"

Slightly apprehensive, Vanitas complied with his older brother's wishes and kept on attacking without remorse, slowly his speed began to go faster and Riku, the silent observer, stood by and watched a red and black blur whizzing around the room. His student had even managed to enter a command style and now he had a maniacal grin as he teleported around. His smirk widened as Sora's eyes couldn't keep up with him.

"Where did you learn this?" the first knight inquired, "it feels like a warped version of time splicer, based on speed, am I correct"

Vanitas did not reply, it was hard work.

Impressing his brother.

He needed to end the battle as soon as possible because his stamina was steadily running out, at this rate he'll be unable to breath properly again. Targeting his brother, he decided to attempt one of his strongest moves, not simply to make Sora proud, but to take stock of his own limits. Stopping in the middle of the hall, the prince located him and rushed to him, raising Kingdom key in the process. At that moment Vanitas droned:

"Zantetsuken"

A blinding flash illuminated the room and Sora gaped as his key-blade cracked and dissolved into fragments of light. A few other cracking sounds were heard and they sounded as if they were coming from Vanitas. The eldest son whipped his head around and saw his younger brother collapse akin to a puppet whose strings were cut.

A groan escaped his lips.

"Vanitas!" he admonished "I'm quite happy with your growth, you didn't have to break a leg in order to impress me!" Sora admonished.

The black haired youth didn't speak.

"Vans?" the first knight called again, concern lacing his voice. To his surprise, his inert brother shakily got up and took a few experimental steps. Thereafter a disturbing grin shone on his face.

"He he heh…Ha ha ahaaa!" the noble guffawed "I'm not a cripple anymore!" he announced with arms stretched to the sky.

"I see Xehanort did a number on Vanitas" Riku commented and Sora agreed numbly.

The prince's expression mellowed out as he saw the sheer mirth on his brother's face. After seeing him depressed for so long, he was glad his brother was back to his former self.

* * *

"Well, it was nice training you Vanitas. Although I'm done with you, do not neglect daily training you hear me?" the silver haired man warmly educated his student, to his surprise, the black haired youth bowed to him and muttered his gratitude.

He was beginning to learn humility.

Waving, Riku watched both his student and best friend leave for Hyrule via a dark corridor. Vanitas kept a modest distance behind his brother. He wanted to relay to Sora that he wanted to apologize to Sheikha and Impa. However he was feeling ashamed for asking…firstly what was he going to say to his brother? How is he going to ask for their forgiveness? Summon them? Frustration made him murmur to himself and Sora turned around and enquired what was wrong with him.

"I want to apologize to Sheikha and Impa for wrecking their village." He blurted out in one breath, his face was burning.

"…I'll summon them to my study…make sure your words are sincere okay Vans? Also I'm happy you are back to your old self" An earnest smile was sent his way and the younger male hung his head.

They stepped out and entered through the doors of the mansion, once again Sora stared in shock.

"One of these days…I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! I didn't say anything about the painting, don't think I didn't notice!" Vanitas took a wary step backwards and peeked around his brother, what he saw made him grin.

Link was pressing the tip of his Master sword into Zack's throat; the brunette was holding his Buster sword over the back of Link's neck like the blade of a guillotine. Unable to disguise their actions, they both detangled themselves from each other and groveled to the floor.

"We didn't dirty the mansion Sir" Zack quickly pointed out.

"QUIET YOU MORON… Don't ruin my good mood or both of you will be sorry…where is Impa and Sheikha? Tell them to meet me in my study" Vanitas sent Link a thumbs up and followed his brother's heavy footsteps upstairs.

"Sheesh" Zack scratched his hair spikes "did princess Zelda refuse to hug him or something? I can't think of an occasion where I saw him this terrifying. He actually sounded like Vanitas."

"He must be tired, I mean we aren't usually allowed in here and Master Sora is being gracious to us…demolishing his home isn't a good way to show gratitude…don't you think? More importantly Master Vanitas is back on his feet again…do you think he'll be back with us…?" Link hesitantly asked.

"Ugh…don't remind me. I'm gonna miss Cloud if he leaves" the fifth knight's voice dropped to a whisper "I think he enjoys his time here with all of us…idiot likes to keep to himself."

"I noticed he respects you greatly" the Hylian pointed out.

In response the soldier sniffed and rubbed the back of his head. Recalling Sora's orders, the two friends sped off in search of their fellow female knights.

Upstairs, the prince slumped into his seat and beheld the twins throwing themselves over Vanitas. The brunette smiled at each of them and asked about their life, the three siblings held a cordial conversation, although he gently pushed Ventus off when the youngster attempted to climb on his lap.

"I'm not big brother Sora" he intoned.

"I know, he's much nicer than you" the baby of the family spat back.

Apply cold water to burned area.

A knock on the door alerted the first knight to his visitors; he dismissed his twin brothers and called the second and sixth knight into his personal study.

The door swung open in front Impa, with her kin in a tow, they entered the modest study. The room was painted an eye pleasing shade of cream. As usual, paintings lined the walls and the tall windows behind Sora where draped with blue curtains. A huge desk was littered with papers and sitting before it in and scanning a document was their leader. Red irises picked out his younger brother slouching against the window sill and she sensed Sheikha tense behind her.

"Were you two busy…if so, sorry to call you at an inconvenient time" the first knight spoke.

"No, we were simply patrolling Castle Town with the castle guards" Impa replied, she wondered why she was summoned.

"Ah…that's great…Vans…"

The black haired noble pushed himself off his awkward seat and stood rigidly before them. He noticed Sheikha glower at him icily.

He swallowed and after shoving his dignity and pride down the drain, he performed a ninety degree angled bow.

His back was so straight; it could be used as a table.

Dazed out of their minds and the fact that the most prideful member of the house of Kingdom was actually _bowing_ down to them made the duo take a collective step backwards and gaped, they heard the adolescent speak.

"I apologize with all sincerity for what I had done. I know mere words won't justify my actions and I won't expect you to forgive me…I'm extremely sorry. Please…please at least don't hate me for what I've done."

"Did Master Sora ask you to apologize?" Sheikha hissed and drew her hands into fists "if that is the case then we don't need your apol-"

"No" Vanitas cut in; with his head still bowed "I'm doing this out of my own accord."

He felt a jolt of surprise when his brother joined him in groveling. Impa felt disturbed to have the prince bowing his head down as well, she glanced at Sheikha who sported a similar, conflicted expression.

"Please forgive him" the elder sibling spoke "what my brother did wasn't right but I think he suffered enough for his actions."

"We understand" Impa spoke softly "raise your head, you are making me uncomfortable"

"I want Sheikha's consent as well" Sora stated.

"…I forgive you…" saying this, the female knight spun on her heel and bolted out of the study without permission. The second knight noticed a few tears on her face.

The members of the Kingdom family raised their heads and Vanitas slinked away. Only Sora and his second in command were in the room.

"She…hates Vanitas doesn't she?" He quizzed "I don't blame her"

"No she does not…she is simply put off by his sincere apologies and how he showed remorse for his actions. Give her time, she'll be return to her old self."

* * *

A few hours later, Sora stamped an official document after reading it. He took another one and grabbed his hair in helplessness and was about to tear his hair off when a knock on his door saved him from becoming bald. Shad entered after adjusting his glasses and the exhausted knight noticed his arms were loaded with scrolls and the Sky book. In a distinctly un-noble like manner, Sora shoved all the documents off his desk and beckoned the ex-knight to come nearer and take a seat.

"Any news on the city in the sky?"

"Yes sire" Shad replied enthusiastically "we found a way to get to the city in the sky…although I need Link's help, this book keeps on referring to the hero."

"I understand" replied the leader "is it a dangerous mission? Should I deploy more knights? Or rather should I come with?" he was looking for a way to escape his work.

"No Sire, I simply need to go to Kakariko village, apparently the pathway is hidden somewhere there. I simply need to open a way."

Sora nodded.

"Then leave immediately, tell Link I decreed him to go." The bespectacled man nodded and exited the study, after asking around he located the bearer of courage in the kitchen, he was sitting with the twin nobles and having an ice-cream eating contest. Aqua was also there, giggling at their antics whilst Cloud was trying to cook something on the stove, he and Zack were making a mess as they argued over what ingredients to put in the simmering pot.

"Master Link" Shad called and the knight looked up on hearing his name. Sitting next to him, the scholar explained their mission and gratefully the third knight nodded and suggested they set out at once.

Link dismounted his horse in front of a modest looking house Shad termed a sanctuary. He politely greeted the owner of the house, a man named Renado and went inside. The abode consisted of a circular chamber with a statue of the Light Spirit Eldin in the center. Shad and Renado conversed deeply and after a while, the host lighted a few torches situated around the house and the statue moved, in its place was an entrance to an underground basement. Link followed Shad wordlessly as they climbed down the hole, they alighted before an owl statue and the knighted Hylian resisted the urge to moan. Whipping out his Dominion rod, he moved the statue and gave an inaudible gasp.

Behind the statue a small cavern had opened up and Link beheld the contraption in awe. A large stone colored cannon lay dilapidated and rusting. Intricate carvings lined the cannon and the Hylians examined it from all angles.

"Marvelous" Shad breathed "we simply need to fix it at Fyer's place…Link old boy, teleport the cannon to Fyer's place situated in the middle of Lake Hylia.

What?

"I can't perform magic Shad…we need Impa or Sheikha to do this…since they are the only ones able to warp…not sure if they can warp things though"

The excited Shad didn't pay attention to his words, he hurriedly went back to get one of the aforementioned knights. Link contented himself to gaze at the cannon and study it.

Several minutes later Shad dragged a reluctant Sheikha and asked her to warp the cannon, without further ado, the female knight stood next to the device, put a hand on it and within moments both she and the cannon broke down into streams of shadows and vanished. The scholar, with boundless energy, commanded Link to go all the way to the middle of Lake Hylia. Thereafter a string of events occurred so fast, the weary knight was unable to keep up. He briefly recalled paying out all his savings…around three hundred rupees. The cannon repair-man, Fyer talked about the technicalities of the Sky cannon and it all went over Link's head. It was around midnight that he was allowed to go home. The knight was so tired, instead of going home; he curled up next to Epona and slept in the open with hammering sounds ringing in his sensitive ears.


	49. Chapter 45: A full moon once more

A/N: Once again, another chapter, please read and review. I hope the readers enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Chapter 45: A Full moon once more

Four days later, Link gazed at the refurbished Sky cannon. The ancient contraption was so amazing it was worth every rupee he spent on it. Leaving Epona's side he examined the cannon from all angles and thanked Fyer for his services.

"Don't worry about it" the portly man winked "I've been well paid, besides this thing has got some good innards, see that red circle there? You just have to trigger it and bam! Off you fly to the heavens. Neat huh?" The man shuffled away leaving the Hylian to brood over his words, peering through the openings, Link spied the clawshot point he was talking about. A sudden urge to try it out overcame him, but he quelled his desires. If his suspicions were correct. Master Sora must be tearing at his hair with worry since Link had not returned home in the past three days. All they know is that he disappeared with Shad one day and failed to return.

Mounting Epona, he spurred his horse across Hyrule's fields and decided to do a clean sweep, instead of taking the short route he first galloped to Faron, thereafter he traversed lower Eldin and went north, sniping monsters along the way, after taking care of the bulbins in upper east Eldin, he trotted all the way west. Tying Epona safely he entered the town and made his way to the Kingdom mansion. As he swung the doors open his leader exploded.

"WHERE IN THE GODDESSES NAME WHERE YOU?!" he huffed "I was going crazy with worry, Zelda is going crazy with worry, Rusl was going crazy with worry…EVERYONE was going crazy! Link, you better have a good explanation…more importantly you aren't hurt are you?" Sora's bright blue eyes gave his third knight a once over and settled on his face.

"No Sir, I'm perfectly okay…I stayed behind to oversee the reconstruction of the Sky cannon" he bowed humbly "I apologize to have worried you"

"So, what is the status of the cannon?" asked the first knight calmly in contrast with his earlier outburst.

"It has been completely repaired; we can go to the City in the sky anytime we want."

It appears as if his commander had blanked out since the brunette stared into space.

"Sir?"

"I understand…get to the lounge I have vital information to relay." Link dipped his head and made his way to the designated area where the rest of the knights were seated. Like a pebble dropped into still water, his presence made quite a commotion. Zack leapt up and tackled him and a mist of tension lifted from the knights as they audibly breathed relived sighs. The fifth knight bumped Link on his head.

"Where were you? Master Sora sent a few of us out each day to search even though our main priority was to guard castle town. He himself went out to search for you. Gosh Link you had us all worried!"

The Hylian muttered a few apologies and sat down, the knights all swarmed to him and asked him a multitude of questions about his whereabouts, he was forced to explain the same things quite a few times and was finally released when the leading knight came into the room and sat down. Behind him stood Vanitas, golden irises fixed to the opposite wall.

"Vanitas" the prince began "you owe us a formal apology."

The bearer of courage blinked; there was no way Master Vanitas would apologize. A few snorts from around the table affirmed his suspicions.

The black haired noble made his way to the opposite end of the table and stood there facing the knights and to the astonishment of all present, he bowed and confessed to his sins. Then, loud and clear he uttered:

"I'm sorry for my actions, please forgive me." Straightening up, he marched backwards to his brother's side and fixated his eyes on the marble floor.

"Since we got that out of the way, by a show of hands, who'd like Vanitas to be re-instated as a knight?"

Every person's hands shot up, including Cloud's. Zack was holding up both of his hands. Link peeked at Vanitas and the adolescent sported an unbelieving expression on his visage. He looked guilty and the guilt soon morphed into bewilderment, at last it settled on gratitude. A small, sincerely happy smile was etched on his face and he gripped his brother's backrest in order to steady himself.

"Don't you have anything to say Vans?" Sora questioned roughly.

"Th-Thank you very much" the noble choked with emotion "I'll do my best at killing from now on" his mood did a 360 and he smirked, a few chuckles were heard at the table.

"Cloud…we are indebted to your services" the blonde knight rose from his seat and inclined his head at Sora's words "if we are ever in trouble, or if we have a vacant position…I'll send Zack to fetch you. I hope it's alright." A beaming smile was sent his way. The mercenary smiled in return and waved at his best friend. Securing his fusion sword he walked out the door without saying farewell. Next to Link, Zack muttered:

"I feel lonely already" he crossed his arms over his chest and slumped lower in his chair.

"Right…Vanitas you are hereby re-instated as the tenth ranked knight…since you are the weakest amongst us. Work hard and you will regain your former glory." The noble stalked to his seat after sending Link a friendly glower and sat down heavily. "Now, Link has informed me that the City in the sky is accessible, therefore as I intended, I'll be leading this expedition" the knights in the room all sat up straighter "coming with me will be Link, Vanitas, Ashei and…"

"May I come?" the fifth knight eagerly asked.

"I'm sorry Knight Fair, we need higher ranked knights to defend the city…Auru, please come with me"

The selected knights rose from their seats and followed their leader through the dark corridor

* * *

"Wow" breathed Sora as he laid eyes on the magnificent cannon "and you are telling me you simply need to trigger a switch and this thing shoots you to the sky?" His blue eyes were sparkling, however he composed himself. "I'll go in first."

Diving headfirst into the cannon, the first knight waited till Link triggered the clawshot point, with a gleeful shout he burst out of the barrel and the knights watched him soar into the sky with his arms stretched wide open.

"I believe I can flyyyy…"

"…Did he just…scream that where half of Hyrule can hear him yeah?" Ashei quipped and observed the diminutive figure shrinking till he melted out of view.

"Yeah…"Auru agreed "our young master just screamed like a kid when he went soaring into the sky…whose next?"

One by one they shot into the air. Link was the last one to go, as he landed with a very painful thump on his backside he sat up and beheld the ancient city.

It was picturesque. He stood up and a powerful gust nearly blew him off. Securing himself he surveyed his exotic surroundings with an agape mouth till someone jabbed him hard in the back.

"Stop gaping you moron…we have a mission to complete." Vanitas spoke and walked past him. The Hylian followed suit and they all trooped behind the first knight as he entered a door situated on the far side. They came into a chamber branching off into four different directions. Some of floor sections were decorated by blue blocks and there were a few bird type creatures called Oocca.

And apparently Link and all other Hylians were descendants of these creatures.

The Oocca were making strange noises and the green clad hero went near one and picked it up. A bird's body with a disturbingly human face, it gibbled a few times and he kept staring at it.

"I'm supposed to be related to this thing…" he dejectedly spoke to himself. Behind him, Sora, who was reading the map stated:

"If it helps you feel better, Princess Zelda is also related to _those things_ "

Suddenly, Link felt better about his existence.

"Can I kill them?" Hissed Vanitas "the noises they make are grating on my nerves" he summoned Void gear and aimed at an Oocca, sensing danger; the bird squawked and flew off. The first knight got his bearings and ignored the rest of his team as he stepped forward alone. He failed to see the blue blocks and all of a sudden, he found himself sinking.

"Vans!" he screeched and the black haired noble practically flew to his brothers aid, waist half off, he grabbed on to his sibling and dangled. Link pulled on Vanitas' ankles and the two of them dragged a startled Sora to safety.

"Close…" he muttered in a daze "don't go near those blue blocks, they sink without warning." Link looked up and saw a few vines and clawshot holes. Without further ado he swung over the blue tiles and landed on the other corner.

"Nice dude…how in Hyrule are we supposed to get there yeah?" Ashei quizzed heatedly.

"Fly, using the chickens" Vanitas snapped sarcastically, at his statement his brother perked up and did exactly that, floating over to Link with an Oocca in his grasp.

Mortified by his elder's actions, the golden eyed youth simply teleported over to the other side.

Another door later, the posse alighted outside and stared at a broken bridge, again Link disappeared from sight and Sora tried summoning a dark corridor but repeatedly failed. Teleportation did not work as well. As the first knight peered over the edge and confirmed there were no other paths, the bridge started to spin, with a grinding noise, it slotted into another half bridge and the Hylian hero reappeared and ran down the path. The rest followed him much more slowly. They crossed a door and alighted into a long, wide corridor. A few crystal switches were placed and running along the wall, Link saw huge wind turbines. He was about to warn the others of violent gusts of wind when his leader unleashed a thundaga. Blinding lightning scorched and destroyed everything in the room. The turbines hummed no more. The switches were all lit. With a confident stride the knights, except Link went inside.

Nothing happened, a few tile worms surfaced but Vanitas took care of them.

They jumped over gaps in the chamber and continued on their path. And whenever they entered a new room, chamber or corridor the leading knight would fry the interior into oblivion. The strategy worked so well that none of the knights protested since they hardly came across enemies and obstructions, the bearer of courage felt lazy. Impa was right, with Master Sora around; you don't need the other knights.

Moving as a group, the team traversed into a new area and the doors behind them sealed shut. Link drew out his Master sword, however a yellow handled key-blade flew from behind and annihilated the two Dynalfos that materialized in the room. Sliding his sword back in his sheath, the Hylian sighed.

"Give us a break will you!" Vanitas seethed "how are we supposed to have fun exploring this place when you make it so easy? Geez! I regret ever wanting to come with you."

Privately, the rest agreed.

The prince ignored them.

A gate opened before them and Link and his companions shuffled forward, he saw a couple of switches and a hanging chandelier high above them. Without warning another burst of lightning activated everything except the chandelier, which broke. Stranded on a platform, it was the third knight's turn to want to rip his hair out.

"Hmm…nothing happened" the leader mused with a hand on his chin "Link what…"

Sora trailed off and took a step backwards. His knight was snarling and his upper lip had curled to show sharp, sharp teeth.

"The chandelier activates wind Sire, I'm supposed to float to the top using the wind and an Oocca…thank you for destroying our path" he spoke with barely controlled rage, each word punctuated by an audible snarl.

"…I can blitz you up there with an aeroga no problem" The key-blader smiled in an effort to diffuse his knight's wrath.

It took a few bashings into the opposite walls, landing on wrong platforms, falling and almost dying to get Link on the ledge he was supposed to be on.

"Great yeah! And how are we supposed to get there yeah?" Ashei squeaked in surprise as Sora grabbed her and carried her, using Kingdom key, he walked to the edge and dropped an aeroga in the empty space, dispelling his key-blade he jumped and the seventh knight screamed in terror, instead of falling, they flew upwards where a timely snatch from Link's clawshot brought them to safety.

"I…I can't believe I did that yeah…" breathing deeply, the female knight slid to the floor. Several minutes later Vanitas and Auru joined them.

"It was kinda fun" the tenth knight admitted, Auru shook his head in denial and joined Ashei on the floor.

"I'm getting too old for this" he mumbled hoarsely.

* * *

In the next few chambers, the prince was careful not to destroy any chandeliers and wind creating devices. The knights had now stopped before a series of wind tunnels and a flock of Ooccas. Vanitas groaned, snatched one of the birds and went first before any other person. His dignity took a severe bashing as he erratically floated, pushed and pulled by the wind. Not one to feel embarrassed so easily, his elder brother delightedly seized his own bird and followed after Vanitas, giving a few whoops along the way. Link went in last, in case anyone was blown off course and needed to be rescued. Luckily they got to the other end without incident, even switching Ooccas midway and jumping from platform to platform. At last, they simultaneously dropped into a room and like the other one, this one also snapped shut.

"Master Sora…you can destroy that chandelier" Link told him. The strong gale blowing beneath the switch died down and a few heartbeats later an aeralfos sailed into the room. Both nobles aimed magic at it the second it appeared and before anyone could process what had happened, a smoking creature lay at their feet.

"Mid boss…" the Hylian muttered "then the treasure chest…there." He zipped across and opened the treasure chest to retrieve another clawshot.

"Link! What did you get? Let me see" His leader's excited voice grew in pitch as he craned his neck.

"Pipe down will you" Vanitas whispered to him "don't forget your façade…and you have the nerve to lecture us…"

The bearer of courage showed the double clawshot to his leader who examined them. Losing interest, they pushed forward. Link, armed with the double clawshots was now able to cover much faster ground than his companions. However it soon became a problem when they entered an area where only double clawshots would get them across.

"What do we do now Sire?" Sora was traversing the temple in unorthodox ways and Link looked forward to how his leader tackled problems, besides after coming this far, it would be lonely to travel alone. He couldn't ferry anyone across since he had both his hands covered with the clawshots. The first son of the house of Kingdom chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully and looked up.

"Where do we need to go Link?" he inquired.

"At the top of the city most likely sir…I'm sure you noticed a huge dragon when we first came here. It is the final boss and a creature that large will probably only fight in an open arena."

"To the top of the city…got it. All we need to do is go up" the spiky haired brunette raised his weapon and blasted a huge hole in the ceiling.

"Wait Sire!" sputtered Link "that is not the way you…never mind"

The leader was already gone; he'd jumped through the hole he had created. Smirking, Vanitas and the others followed his example. Shrugging helplessly, Link too went through the hole in the roof. As he came out a hand grabbed him and his gaze met golden irises. The duo teleported around the city in a circular fashion till the hero was deposited in an open, grassy area bounded by four giant grated pillars. He noticed there was a small ledge to stand on top and his leader was already standing on one, key-blade twirling in one hand. The sky was starting to get dark and clouds rumbled. A flash of lightning announced the arrival of Argorok. Vanitas whistled.

"The dragon would make a good pet" he haughtily stated.

These people are all crazy, the master sword wielder concluded in his head.

"Should we help…or can I simply sit here and watch Master Sora in his glory?"

"No, we need to help him defeat it, when the dragon comes down, go slaughter it and bring its head to me"

The Hylian laughed at Vanitas' words, the chuckles died down as a huge meteor hurtled from the sky. Link stood up and followed the boulder's trajectory with wide eyes. It hit Argorok squarely on its scaly back and with a tremor, it landed on the ground. Still the triforce bearer did not move.

"What are you doing you idiot…go kill it! My brother can't pull a move like this twice!" Nudged out of his stupor, Link yelled and sunk his blade deep into the nape of the shadow creature, with almighty groan it took to the skies with its attacker hanging on for dear life.

"Nice…now we must be careful not to accidentally kill him" the black haired noble growled. Activating ghost drive, he instantly teleported to the dragon's back and sunk Void gear next to Link's sword. Argorok roared and slowly broke down into shadowy streams.

"Thanks for not frying me Vanitas" Link bowed his head and the adolescent merely waved him off.


	50. Chapter 46: Fairy's Tears

A/N: Much thanks to AFredToThePast9 for reviewing and without further ado, I present to you the next chapter. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ nor KH

* * *

Chapter 46: Fairy's tears

"All ten of us?" Impa quizzed with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes."

"You just completed the final temple two days ago…aren't you tired?" she insisted

"Not actually. I feel really energized" Sora grinned.

The two were currently in the kitchen and the leading knight was stuffing his face with breakfast. Next to him the second knight exhaled deeply. He proposed all ten Knights to traverse through a dungeon Link and Cloud discovered a few months back. The ruby eyed female had never heard of all the knights tackling a dungeon together, this must be the first.

"Apparently it is a very difficult cave, filled with strong enemies from all of Hyrule's and neighboring regions." The noble reported "think of it as an exercise to keep in shape…also we need everyone to be in top shape since I have finally decided to reclaim Hyrule Castle."

The warrior listened intently as her leader laid out background plans. Obviously the two main forces in play to bring down Ganondorf would be the princess and Link. At the mention of Zelda's name he grew quiet.

"Is it absolutely necessary for her to take part in the battle?" he asked.

Impa felt impatient. He already knew the answer yet he kept on nagging like a child.

"Is it absolutely necessary for you to take part in bringing down Xehanort?" she quipped a reply.

"I get it…stop making fun of me…"

They continued to talk about future plans but every time Sora strayed off topic and came back to his earlier suggestion of having the knights crawl through the Gerudo desert cave of ordeals.

Cave of ordeals…what a fitting name.

"Hyrule will be unprotected…Zelda won't want that" The Sheikh was trying to deter her superiors mind, alas, once Sora sets his thoughts to something, he'll stubbornly stick towards it till the end.

"I'm sure she won't mind. After all it is to make the knights stronger."

…The trump card did not work.

"…"

"Why are you so against it Impa?" the brunette tilted his head in confusion, he brought a finger up and wiped the edge of his mouth free of jam.

"…It feels like things are going to end…the false peace we are surrounded by. What will happen to the remaining triforce bearers if one of their own is put down?"

"Continue life as normal I guess?" Sora began tidying up "what do the legends say?"

"One of the princesses Zelda betrayed us…?"

Eh?

The plate Sora was eating on nearly fell from his grasp. The mere fact of Zelda betraying her people was so absurd, yet at the back of his mind, it felt entirely plausible. Why did he think it was possible for the princess to betray her people?

The answer was simple. She'd betray them if it meant their safety.

"I'm sure our Zelda won't do such a thing…believe in her." The prince mumbled, he was absentmindedly washing the dishes.

"My trust in her is unshakeable…I'm concerned about her life after she fulfilled her duty. What is going to happen to her and Link? The legends are never clear. The hero of time made three separate timelines. In two time lines he is lauded as a hero, he spent his life with content and in the third…" Sora gulped "he failed to save his people, Hyrule was sealed and flooded…and destroyed."

The plate slipped from his hand and crashed into the sink.

Luckily it was unbroken.

"You are talking about possibilities should Link and Zelda fail to put down Ganon-"

"I'm not only talking about that!" The female knight and risen from her chair, her behavior surprised the noble; he had never seen her so worked up before. "What if the goddesses decide to reclaim her after she has fulfilled her duty? You can't be sure…after all the goddesses are fickle!"

Her words caused the master of the mansion to turn around and stare at her.

Fickle.

Chess pieces.

Puppets.

They were puppets, those branded with the triforce.

Reclaim? His chest felt tight at the thought of Link and Zelda dying.

"You sound like Ganondorf…assemble the knights in the lounge and relay today's assignment to them. We need to clear our heads, it is never good to do battle with a conflicted mind." The knight made her way out "and Impa…have faith." Sora tried to smile, however his expression did not respond. Resuming his task with heavy hands he thought about the burden placed on the princess of Hyrule.

And the way she smiled.

* * *

"The entrance to the cave looks really tiny," Zack pointed out "never mind though…I can't believe I'm actually going on an expedition with Master Sora…I gotta brag to Aerith about this." Link grinned at his friend's antics and the optimism became contagious. Aqua and Sheikha had moved closer to survey the entrance. Way behind them, the members of the house of Kingdom seemed to be involved in a heated discussion.

"But you said we are all going together" Ventus whined "why are you going to Disney Castle _now_ out of all times?"

Roxas resolutely glared at him.

"What? Can't survive without the princess pampering you?" Vanitas hissed, displeasure clearly stamped in his angry visage.

"You don't understand…I-"

"Oh…we understand loud and clear…we are a nuisance." Roxas spat and shouldered forward "Come on Ven, we'll stick with Link."

"FINE! I'll lead!" the last thing Sora wanted was his brothers and knights to ignore him. Striding forward he stood before the entrance of the cave with a confident stance.

"No…You are not leading. Link and I are. Peasant, move before I remind you how to." Body suit materializing, the dark haired noble brushed past his brother with a sheepish Link in a tow. The Hylian did a quick bow to his flabbergasted leader before he followed Vanitas inside the dank cavern. One by one the other knights filed in, some bowing and others flashing him a pitied smile.

"Impa…" the brown haired man groaned "since when did things turn out like this?" Seeing him reduced to such a sorry state made the female knight chuckle, with a comforting squeeze of his shoulder, she too entered the cave.

"Thank you…for cheering me up" her gratitude floated to her commander's ears.

The ten knights entered the cave and before Link could even assert his position as co-commander, Vanitas had leapt into the first chamber where a bird brained bunch of bokoblins were waving their prehistoric clubs around. A black distortion swept around the circular room and they all vanished. Up above, the rest of the knights watched with deadpan expressions.

"And you are no better than Master Sora!" Aqua voiced. "What is the purpose of appointing Link as a co-leader when you are doing everything for yourself?" She jumped down and the rest followed her.

"He can take care of the chus and keese" the dark key-blade wielder retorted.

Link's ears turned red as the rest of the party laughed at his expense. Throwing him a smirk, Vanitas pushed to the next room and the Hylian forlornly followed. Aqua's words probably had an impact on the black haired youth because in the next few areas he stopped fighting altogether. The rest of the team gleefully took care of the enemies and Ashei groaned, citing the enemies were too easy. The mood around the knights lightened as some of them paired off and started competing against each other, even Impa, the stoic second knight joined in the fun. The underground cave shook with exertion as it absorbed impact from nine highly skilled and extremely excited knights.

Only the first knight did not take part in the battle gala.

He slinked after everyone else, barely registering what was happening around him. Every few moments, his bright blue eyes would drift to Link; the Hylian's face was beaming with happiness, lips stretched into a wide smile showing gleaming white teeth.

And incisors.

Sora watched the green clad hero raise his sword with apparent glee and bloodlust. As his hand periodically went up, the key-blader's eyes would automatically lock on to the three triangles decorating the back of his hand. No one knew what will transpire after Ganondorf was defeated, not even the legends were clear about it. Dragging himself behind the others, he failed to notice how his twin brothers cast anxious glances at him. They had arrived in yet another area although, there was something different about this cavern. The brunette noticed a large circular spring set in the middle of the room. With obvious relief, the knights rushed forward with the intention of refreshing themselves, leading the charge was the third knight who, on sloshing to the middle of the spring abruptly stopped and petrified.

One by one, the knights froze as well.

From the center of the spring, amongst many ripples a creature rose. Link tried to take a few steps back; instead he lost his footing in the knee deep water and fell. A beautiful female stood before him, at first his mind told him she might be human or Hylian, however a closer inspection showed that she was none. Pairs of iridescent wings gently moved in an imaginary breeze, as Link continued to gape, a sudden exclamation from the back forced him back to reality.

"Avert the male gaze!" Sora shouted. "And Link…get away from her!"

The fairy in front of him was scantily dressed. Her chest was covered by her long, lustrous hair and she wore a short cloth around her waist and thighs. Eyes tightly shut thanks to his leaders bellow, he started fumbling around, hauling himself backwards.

"Hero…" her voice, soft, flowing and sounding like she carried the world's weight on her shoulders prompted him to momentarily stop. He heard water being sloshed around and before he knew what was happening, a bottle was thrust in his hand. Mentally apologizing to his leader, he cracked open his eyes to see the fairy's face was shimmering with tears.

Tears, glistening akin to quicksilver.

"If you wish to continue" her hypnotic tones enraptured him "you will need a greater power, also these tears carry healing abilities, use them when you are in a bind." Link blinked, when he was young he often heard stories saying Fairy's tears could heal any ailment, it could even cure people who had been injured beyond hope. He'd never thought the rumors would be true.

"Thank you" he clutched the bottle tightly as the magical fey drew away. She smiled a sad smile and disappeared, the unearthly glow and hum in the chamber faded out and he sat there in the water staring at the bottle of shimmering liquid and feeling very unhappy for some reason.

"Link are you okay?" Zack's question broke into his thoughts "what do you have there in your hands?"

The Hylian held up the bottle and related what had transpired between him and the fairy. He saw his leader's face light up.

"Then let's search for more!" He happily yelled, with renewed vigor the Master Knights traversed the remaining floors, his surreal experience forgotten with the prospect of more enemies, Link stowed the bottle away and joined in the fray.

The next set of floors birthed a number of stronger enemies. Throwing caution to the winds, the bearer of triforce brought out his ball and chained and spun around the room demolishing shadow creatures and part of the walls as well. It now became a competition of dodging his haphazardly moving weapon as the knights expertly weaved themselves around the silver spiked sphere, Ven who saw the ball careering dangerously close to his head, offset its course with an aerora and the ball flew to the other end and embedded itself on the wall. Dirt and rocks rained down from above.

On the twentieth floor, the group once again spied a spring similar to the one they saw earlier. Sora urged Impa to go to the middle of the spring, like a trigger, another great fairy made an entrance and this time she delivered some news:

"Fairies have released into Faron spring" her voice twinkled and she faded away.

"…Wait!" shrieked their leader "what about my bottle of fairy tears?"

Listening to his superior's apparent greed for healing items disturbed Link, he pondered why his oh so great leader wanted the tears so badly. Didn't it occur to him that these tears might have been born from sadness and pain? Feeling miffed, he took his own bottle out and thrust it reluctantly at the prince.

"Here sire…you can have mine"

The first knight's eyebrows shot up in surprise

"What am I going to do with them?" he enquired "I only wanted more because I thought one bottle won't be enough for you and the others once you fight Ganondorf…you can't use magic right?"

At his logic, the master sword wielder felt very foolish.

"Right" he muttered "sorry" thereafter he put the bottle back in his pouch again.

The third phase became quite challenging. The knights stopped playing around and began to fight in earnest. Instead of rushing to battle, they scouted the area from above. Auru and at times Link would pick off some enemies using arrows and projectiles. At one point a couple of ReDeads made an appearance and the twins, who did not have any pleasant memories of them spammed their most powerful magic in order to get rid of those zombies. The number of floors increased and Sora saw some of his knights had become fatigued, however his brother, Impa, Link and Zack were still fighting zealously.

Another fairy and another announcement:

"Fairies have been released into Eldin spring"

Unsurprisingly the last leg of the cave had become intensely taxing, spirit creatures had now made an appearance and Link was forced to turn into a wolf to put an end to them. At one point three Darknut's surfaced and the Kingdom key wielder shook his head at Vanitas' foolhardy confidence. Golden eyes glinting, the second born leapt into the middle and hissed at everyone to stay clear, worry gnawed at Sora as he observed his brother flitting about the three powerful shadow warriors. With great effort he managed to dispatch them, suffering numerous wounds in the process.

"Don't you EVER do that!" The eldest sibling admonished severely whilst force feeding him a potion. The adolescent scowled and turned away.

At last, the knights made it into the fiftieth floor where a fairy was already waiting for them. As per routine Impa went forward but the fey shook her head and pointed at Link. She beckoned him forward.

"I feel kinda jealous" his spiky haired friend whispered.

"There is nothing wrong about Link accepting what is rightfully his" Aqua countered with a somewhat fierce expression at the Great fairy. Seeing her glower Zack smirked.

The glow in the dank cave died down and everyone found themselves outside at Lanayru.

"What happened yeah?"

"The great fairy teleported us outside…also I got a jar of Great fairy tears" Link reported dutifully.

"What's the difference?" Auru probed.

"I'm not sure" the hero replied, walking towards his leader who had spaced out again Link presented him the jar.

"Keep it" the brunette uttered. "Keep it, for worst case scenarios." Without another word, he opened a dark corridor and vanished from view.


	51. Chapter 47: Cracks in armor

A/N: Much thanks to DaniPotterLovesGod and Eevee for reviewing! Virtual mangoes to you. At Eevee:...Ahahahaha, I was so surprised to see you here, I ended up posting a chapter...why do you always do this to me? Lol, I appreciate you reading this story, it's my first fanfic and now that I re-read it, I find it a bit unsatisfactory. I didn't put much effort like I did with Blaec Iustice. Oh well. Sense of humor? More like my sense of snark but I'm glad you liked it.

Disclaimer: I own mango trees and this story, however, I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom Hearts.

* * *

Chapter 47: Cracks in armor

Following her peaceful and rather eventful time at Destiny Islands, Princess Zelda thought it was a cruel twist of fate to be holed up in Disney Castle's library once more. She had found a good companion in Kairi whose presence was a delight to have around. The red-head taught her so many things about the Islands that she was unaware of. The pressure of being a princess gradually faded from memory and on more than one occasion she had neglected to put on her tiara and other royal ornaments as she explored the isles. True to the Kingdom family's nature, Sora's father would always advise her to keep safe and not to wander off and the mother would always welcome her with warm smiles. So one day when the prince abruptly showed up and declared that she was to be escorted back to the castle, she had felt very lonely. It also seemed as if the first knight's visits were becoming sporadic.

She forlornly turned the pages of a picture book she was reading. Hearing familiar voices, she abandoned her place and moved forward. There were two people talking, Zelda picked up her husband's voice and another low tone that must belong to Riku.

They were engaged in a childish argument.

"You go in first…" Sora nudged his best friend who coolly glared at him.

"And why should I go first? She is your wife, just tell her!"

"What if she hates me?" he wailed "she's been unhappy ever since she left Destiny Islands…"

Losing patience at their squabbling, Zelda came out of the library, seeing her, the commander of the Master Knights shrilled.

Riku made a disgusted face.

"If there is something wrong, I'd appreciate it if someone told it to me straight." The princess of Hyrule eyed the two.

"I'm taking you back to Hyrule" Sora stated in a small voice.

She probably did not hear the statement correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm taking you back to Hyrule" He spoke loudly.

Inside her chest, her heart began beating out an erratic rhythm.

She was going home.

Princess Zelda was going back to where she belonged.

The two males watched as her rigid expression melted right off. Her lips curved upwards till it became a blissful smile. Next to the silver haired key-blader, his best friend exhaled a relived sigh. Casting a sideway glance he observed Sora with a silly grin on his face, at this, the anxiety welling up in Riku's chest decided to take a back step.

"Are we leaving now?" The royal lady enquired, she was trying hard to keep herself calm.

"Yeah…as soon as Mickey arrives, we are leaving."

The king appeared mere moments later. The prince's chest squeezed painfully as he saw Zelda walking around with a mesmerized expression. In her mind, she probably created her own warped and peaceful version of Hyrule. Even though Sora had reported the country and castle's disintegration, if one did not see it with their own eyes, it'd be difficult to believe. Making up his mind on the destination with a heavy heart, he forced the space to tear and of her own accord, the princess practically leapt into it. A few seconds later they alighted right in front of Hyrule castle, their entrance barred by a powerful magical barrier. He saw her visage turn from rapture to confusion and sadness as she stared at her beloved abode.

"We…will be leaving for your mansion, come with Princess Zelda when you are ready" Mickey directed his words to Sora and departed with Riku.

* * *

Zelda pressed her palm against the barrier.

It did not yield.

She pushed harder, frustration making her stubborn. A short while later, a larger hand placed itself over her own.

"It won't budge, no matter how much you push it. This barrier was set to be indestructible." Sora's voice whispered near her.

"Why…am I finding this so difficult to accept? Why… are you so calm?" She fired questions with her head hanging low and back facing the first knight. Slowly, her hand trailed down the light barrier and Sora grasped it tightly.

"You are the princess; your wish is to see your people and country safe. As for me, I've been involved in countless battles and it is never a good idea to head off to war with a clouded conscious." He replied.

Silence

"I've brought you here today because we are going to reclaim the castle Zelda, for this to happen we need you to be strong. How do you think your people will feel if they see you broken like this? Have coura-"

"I'm not courage" she snapped and faced him angrily "Link holds the triforce of courage."

Her words cut deep and she immediately regretted saying them after seeing the hurt in Sora's eyes.

"I apologize for my outb-"

"So…according to you, the rest of us are not courageous because we don't hold the triforce of courage…nice to know I'm a coward _princess_ "

The urge to embrace her disappeared like mist under a sun's rays. Taking a deep breath he spun around and began marching out of the area, seeing him leave, she frantically tried to reach for his hand and it escaped her by a few inches. Feeling really miserable for her harsh words, she ran to catch up to him and held his hand in a vise grip. The slight ache forced him to face her.

"Yes?" the prince's face was so devoid of emotion, it scared her a little.

"…

…Please…ignore what I said earlier…I was not thinking properly…."

She leaned against him, energy all gone.

"I admit…you are the most courageous person I know" Zelda continued speaking "we…are nothing without the triforce…"

"When you think like that it makes you look less pretty" he boyishly retorted, she was leaning too close to him "And I'm sure the triforce does not force you to act like an strict princess, it's your personality that defines who you are, not some mark on the back of your hand."

Hearing his little speech made her smile again.

"Your attempts at making me happy are well appreciated" she voiced "however you are right…partially…I suppose my name dictates who I am, similarly with Link and Ganondorf."

The knights' commander seized this chance to ask her about what was keeping him awake at night.

"What will happen to Link and yourself once Ganondorf is defeated?"

"Hmm? Nothing…we will continue our lives as normal" she answered lightly.

"Really?" he pressed.

"Yes…why are you asking?"

Sora scratched the back of his head with his free hand before replying:

"Impa was really worried, she kept on scouring legends and stuff trying to find out what will happen afterwards. Apparently" he paused "apparently, one princess Zelda betrayed the Sheikh tribe and another princess sacrificed her life to seal Hyrule. You are absolutely sure you…are not gonna end up like one of them are you?"

Worry.

He was worried.

"No, it was their destiny. If something will happen after Ganondorf's defeat I would have received visions."

"I also noticed you keeping secrets from me" he grudged; a frown appeared on his face.

The princess reddened and Sora decided it was enough, opening a dark portal; they walked through and arrived inside his house where King Mickey and Riku were making themselves home.

"Everything alright?" the humanoid mouse questioned and the newly arrived duo nodded.

When Impa and Link received summons to the Kingdom mansions lounge, their eyes nearly popped off to see Princess Zelda there. She smiled amicably at them and the silver haired female rushed to her charge and knelt. The third knight simply blushed, he had always found the princess to be impeccably beautiful and with her relaxed visage, she appeared even brighter. Quickly recomposing himself, he bowed to the princess and the occupants in the living room and took his place at the table.

"Emergency meeting to reclaim Hyrule castle and defeat Ganondorf and Xehanort once and for all" the commander announced and opened the meeting.

"The name is such a mouthful" Riku jibed and the brunette glared.

Ignoring the two, King Mickey began to speak:

"Due to the worsening condition of all the worlds, it has been decided to put the two threats down simultaneously" Link sat up straighter and Impa's gaze turned sharper "for this we have devised a plan which in theory will work. Sora and Link is obviously going to be the key players in this assault so the two teams will be under your command. The first team with Link, bearer of triforce, at its lead will consist of Princess Zelda, Second knight Impa, Ashei, Sheikha and Auru. The second team with Key-blade Master Sora at its helm will consist of Riku, Vanitas, Roxas and Ventus, Aqua and Zack."

"Are there any objections or questions?" the king queried looking intently at the faces around the table.

"Princess Zelda, your thoughts?" Riku inclined his head at her.

"The strategy is a very good one, the pincer attack will prevent one from helping the other since it is a confirmed fact of them conspiring. My only concern is the timing of the attacks…how will the problem be resolved?"

"You tell us" Sora piped up.

Before she could speak Impa cut in:

"Time does not flow similarly in different worlds Master Sora."

"Even so, Zelda will know" he insisted.

"If you can materialize a dark corridor right in the enemy's location, then we will begin our attack as soon as you leave, this way things are simplified. But if you can't, then we are facing another problem all together…although, I have no doubt you will be able to open a tunnel right next to Xehanort, am I correct?"

The brunette beamed and nodded and Link stared at him.

"So it is settled" the aquamarine eyed man brought the meeting to a close "if we don't have anything further to discuss, King Mickey and I will be leaving. See you soon Sora" with a wave of his hand the two key-bladers disappeared in a flash of light using Mickey's star shard.

Only the top three knights and princess Zelda was left in the room.

"Link, fetch the other knights, we have to debrief them of the plan." Scrambling up from his seat, the Hylian left to carry out his orders.

* * *

"Currently this is the situation…"

The atmosphere was tense; the knight's faces had all hardened with determination once they heard about the plan. Not even Ashei nor Zack threw a joke or cut the first knight off when he was speaking.

"Participation is mandatory…no knight is exempted from this task" Sora carried on speaking "this assignment is also wrought with the risk of losing one's life, when you enter into battle, make sure you go in without regrets…in order to do so I will give all of you a few days to prepare so please do."

Several knights fidgeted in their seats. For Link, the anticipation was making his head buzz, prolonging the time for attack will only waver resolve. Once again he felt a burning desire, no a need, he had to act.

He was forced to act.

Standing up from his seat, he fixed his intense gaze on the first knight who held it without flinching.

"Master Sora, I think it is in our best interest to attack immediately" he projected his voice loud and clear.

"Who agrees with Link?"

Almost every knight's hand shot up, the few exceptions were Aqua and Impa.

"…I'm sure you two have reasons, but we have to go with Link's suggestion due to the majority voting for him. I'm sorry if this causes any inconveniences."

The Hylian's eyes slid to the blue haired knight, her expression divulged nothing.

"Therefore, we will commence our operations tomorrow" the commander announced "for now, meeting dismissed."

* * *

The princess watched Sora's shoulders slump as he stared at the barrier enveloping Hyrule castle. It was the crack of dawn and the early morning rays of light slipped from the horizon slowly illuminating the world.

"At that time, it seemed like a really good idea…" he muttered to himself.

"Can't you get the sages to dispel it?" Zelda suggested mildly, he jolted up.

"Yeah…why didn't I think of that?...Be right back" creating a dark corridor he vanished and at the same moment Link along with Impa, Sheikha and Zack entered the area.

"Princess" they bowed in unison and she nodded in return.

Moments later the rest of the knights gathered around and watched as the first layer of the barrier cracked, they waited with bated breath for it completely shatter alas the sages of light stopped their archaic chanting.

"Is something the matter" Zelda asked the sages.

"We…cannot disintegrate the barrier any further" they informed "we apologize for this but it seems darkness has also reinforced our barrier."

"Well, at least it is cracked; the rest of us can bring it down." Summoning Kingdom key, the prince jumped and wedged his sword into one of the cracks, Link followed suit, twisting his sword and watching spider web fissures spread from their point of origin. The second knight, seeing no other fractures, seized her sword and created one herself, setting himself down on one knee, Auru hefted his cannon and begun pelting the surface of the barrier with spiked projectiles. Vanitas, who was strangely quiet, seemed to be concentrating on something really hard. The twins, with Ashei and Aqua began freezing the pyramid. Zack, armed with his Buster sword tried to activate one of his commands when a shriek courtesy of Vanitas had everyone looking towards the sky.

A huge purplish black vortex swirled in the heavens, to everyone's horror it began sucking things in, from the outskirts of Castle town, shadow creatures were being pulled in and punished, the sheet of ice encapsulating the pyramidal barrier shattered and whole chunks floated upwards. Forgetting their original task, the knights, all ten of them and Zelda looked up. Sora was the first to recover.

"Vanitas!" he called sharply "what did you do?"

He did not have his usual sniggering confidence.

"I was trying to warp the barrier when this happened" he reluctantly pointed to the sky, sweat dotted his forehead and obvious exertion shone on his face. An almighty crashing noise alerted them to the barrier splintering into numerous shards which were all pulled in by the ominous magnetic force, to the Hylian princess' dismayed disbelief, parts of the castle began breaking down and soaring upwards.

"Vans!" his elder brother screeched with a glance at Zelda, her face was white as snow "I'd appreciate it if you could stop what you are doing!"

In response, the black haired adolescent's eyes rolled in his head and he fainted. The black distortion disappeared and the debris hanging in midair began raining down. This went unnoticed to the triforce bearer of wisdom since her eyes were glued to one spot:

The open doors leading to the castle.


	52. Chapter 48: Disassociation

A/N: I'm back people, with another chapter, as you can proabably sense, the story is coming to a close. Much thanks to Sylveon for reviewing. (Idk what you are doing here as well but the though is appreciated!) And gratitude to EmperorOfTheNight7 for favoriting the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own LOZ nor KH...I didn't even play Breath of the wild!

* * *

Chapter 48: Disassociation

Vanitas woke up to see two identical faces hovering right in front of him. Two pairs of bright blue eyes intently stared and he felt slightly annoyed. As he opened his mouth the twins simultaneously shouted:

"Big brother Vanitas has recovered."

He pushed himself up to see all of the knights still sitting outside the entrance to Hyrule Castle. His elder brother got up and the rest of the knights rose as well. Sensing urgency in their movements, Vanitas too, forced himself up and stood behind his brother. Some of the knights milled about, speaking in hushed tones, others walked alone with tense, stiff expressions. The black haired adolescent observed his brother making his way over to the Hylian princess. He stood awkwardly before her.

"Stay safe" he murmured and gazed at her with a tender expression, for her part she simply smiled and clasped her hand above her chest. With a sudden flash on inspiration, Sora began fumbling with the silver chain around his neck. It sported the family's crest and with great difficulty (due to his unruly hair) he managed to take it off. Grasping it tightly he walked forward and lightly slipped the chain around Zelda's neck. Several knights watched him and Vanitas' cheeks turned red at his older sibling's apparent display of affection.

What was he doing, acting so childish?

Link observed dumbly, princess Zelda was blushing furiously yet she did not step away from the first knight's tight embrace. His gaze wandered to a certain blue haired knight who was sitting alone. She looked up and their eyes met briefly, tearing himself away, he busied himself with glaring at the castle. If anyone peered at him long enough, they'd be able to discern a faint tint of red on his cheeks.

"Divide yourself into two groups" the commander commanded "and prepare to leave immediately."

Like clockwork the knights shuffled around their respective leaders. Vanitas, Aqua, Roxas, Zack, Ventus and Sora on one side; Link surrounded by Impa, the princess, Ashei, Auru and Sheikha.

The two heroes faced each other and the Hylian felt a weight on his shoulders, the first knight looked confident, all Link felt was trepidation.

"…I actually don't know what to say" the prince admitted sheepishly "but…I should say something…Link, do your best, the whole of Hyrule is depending on you…usher in a new era of peace. Be as famous as the Hero of Time. I'm counting on you"

Pride swelled in his chest at his leader's words. He was being compared to the famed Hero of Time, bowing deeply he uttered his gratitude.

"You too Master Sora, please come back so we can lead us to more adventures once again" Link smiled, it was small comfort but that was all he could say.

The brunette nodded and turned around, he willed the space to tear and the third knight took it as his cue to leave. He made it to the front of the castle and after reassuring himself he entered through the familiar doors. One by one his party followed before him, only the princess trailed behind. She glanced back to see the prince also standing on his own, staring at her. He had sent the knights ahead of him. Ignoring the fact that she should go into the castle already, she strode to the lonesome knight and cupped his cheeks.

"Please return…" she softly stated "and stay safe." He had opened his mouth to say something, however she cut him off by gently pushing him into the dark corridor, thereafter she spun around and left for her mission.

* * *

The moment Link stepped into the castle foyer; it was obvious an evil overlord had taken over. The interior decoration was still, thankfully, intact. Hissing shadow beasts, baba serpents and deku baba's also contributed to the indoor deco. Before he could act, Ashei whipped out her black rapier and danced across the tiled floor, her sword freezing anything she touched. The iced monsters crumbled into sparkling white dust.

"You should spare your energy yeah" she stated "let us deal with the small fry." He nodded in agreement.

The seventh ranked knight stayed behind to deal with the continually spawning monsters, Sheikha volunteered to stay with her but Ashei refused, citing that they might run into stronger enemies further on. Nodding he took out his double clawshots and targeted the chandeliers hanging from above, zipping up he landed on one of the balconies and scanned the upper areas, sensing no monsters around, he beckoned the other knights to join him. Impa wasted no time and warped over whilst holding princess Zelda; the sixth knight did the same with Auru. After entering through the door, they came to a landing branching off two paths. As the Hylian hero puzzled over which pathway to take, A Darknut appeared.

Sheikha intercepted the beast. Shooting forward, she landed a devastating kick on the shadow creature's side and the armor cracked. A fierce jab, shattered the plate completely. A second attempt was skillfully parried by the Darknut who now went on the defensive. Seeing the monster bide its time, the lithe warrior brought out her harp and began playing a heart wrenching tune on it. Too late the Darknut looked at its feet where a huge column of fire erupted and cremated it, leaving behind grey ashes.

"Princess, which way should we go?" Link enquired after he failed to decide.

She concentrated with her eyes closed; a second later she opened them and spoke:

"The western path will yield more rewards although it will be more difficult to traverse."

And so they went.

True to what the princess had predicted, two Lizalfos were parading around the corridor. This time Impa let out a war cry and rushed in. Seeing her go alone, Link grasped his Master sword and was about to join her when the princess stopped him.

"Impa alone will be enough to defeat them. You need to preserve you energy Link."

He nodded meekly, when he raised his head again, the second knight was re-sheathing her sword with a satisfied expression on her face. Link moved forward and to the far end of the corridor and turned the door's knob, however the door was locked. He related his predicament to everyone present.

"Why don't we break it down?" Auru suggested, "I don't see any switches or levers or anything."

The knights turned to observed their princess pulling out her bow, stringing two arrows; she expertly severed the ropes holding up two paintings decorating the eastern wall. There were crystal switches behind the paintings, smoothly fitting a third arrow in her bow, she shot one of the crystal switches and the door swung open of its own accord.

'Amazing' the bearer of courage thought.

The floor of the next corridor was decked with a royal blue carpet. Anxiety welled in Link's chest. More enemies were going to arrive in this place, his senses screamed. He cautiously stepped forward, taking deep breaths along the way and unfailingly three Darknuts materialized out of thin air.

Three.

Failing to conserve his energy any longer, the leading knight charged first. A devastating Mortal draw managed to de-armor one of the Darknuts. Thereafter he leapt back and forth in order to avoid the creature's blade, the carpet tore as both man and beast trailed their swords on it. Holding his sword out he whirled around and performed a spin attack, bifurcating the shadow monster into a puff of darkness. Impa and the rest had taken care of the other two, and he noticed the silver haired warrior had suffered a gash to her forehead.

"It's nothing" she intoned and marched forward.

They had come out of a castle to an outdoor pathway, with Zelda safely in the middle; they began walking in a strict formation. Once the knights had reached midway, their quiet surroundings burst into a cacophony of monster shrieks and cries. With wide eyes the knights observed the bridge crawling with monsters, bulbin archers, aeralfos, dynalfos, all careered towards them with horrific bloodlust. Sheikha drew several giant ninja stars and let them soar through the air. Auru shouldered his cannon and began firing in a rapid manner.

"Go!" the masked knight urged "we are creating a path for you, take the princess and run!" Impa carried the princess and both she and Link made a mad dash to the other side and tumbled through the doors.

The three Hylian's attention was immediately draw to a large, evil looking chest set in the middle of the room. As if possessed, Link moved towards it, knelt before it and gingerly opened it.

Inside was a large jeweled key. However, the key held an ominous weight to it.

The boss key, thanks to always having a key-blader whenever they cleared a dungeon, this was the first time the green clad hero actually saw one. He distinctly remembered Impa holding three shards and combining them into a single one during their Fire temple adventures, unfortunately his memories were a bit hazy, the only incident he clearly remembered was his senseless assault of Ganondorf. The mere thought of the Gerudo chief made him emit a growl.

"We need to move on" the veteran knight pulled the third rank out of his morbid ponderings. They all shifted into the next area which was part of one of Hyrule Castle's turrets. As soon as they stepped in, the princess gasped and looked at a shallow cut in her arm. A small stream of blood oozed from it. The two knights surveyed the room but found no monsters lurking within its depths.

Another cut appeared on her arm, this gash was deeper. Blood flowed and the princess clamped her hand down to stem the flow. Her pristine white glove soaked red. Suddenly Link shrieked and flailed his arms, it felt like a thousand sharp little teeth were biting down on his entire body, blood spurted from small cuts and he transformed into a wolf. His vision showed him something disturbing.

Ghoul rats and spirits dominated the room, a few of them were biting into the princess, hence the inexplicable cuts, the rats veered away from Impa who was swinging her giant blade around. Link's entire body was covered with those ghoul creatures and he snarled and spun around to get rid of them. Finally he dashed around the room and put an end to every evil spirit lingering inside. To the two observers, it appeared as if he had gone mad.

"Is…he alright?" Zelda's mild tone was laced with alarm; she cast an anxious look at Impa who stayed silent. Before them, the wolf contorted and morphed back into a human.

"Ghoul rats and spirits" they knight reported and Impa nodded in understanding.

* * *

The upper parts of the castle were derelict. Broken stairs, pillars and walls were dotted around. The incidence of shadow creatures increased and every few moments Link, Impa and on occasion, the princess helped dispatch them. The blonde male tasted depression and death in the air. He knew the princess' spirits were steadily decreasing. The sight of the dilapidated castle was making her uneasy, nevertheless she shouldered forward with iron clad determination. He wondered how the team sent to Xehanort was doing.

His thoughts strayed to Aqua.

Shaking his head, he came to a stop before a broken staircase. A huge section had fallen off and it was simply impossible to jump across. Walking towards the wall, he peered closely and beheld indentions in the walls, where the stairs had vanished. Mentally congratulating himself he turned to two stern faces.

"How are we going to go across?" Impa quizzed, she had seen the slight elation in his eyes.

"I will be able to go with the spinner…I'm not sure how you and the princess will…" he left his words hanging in the air.

The ruby eyed female instructed Link to take his spinner out, the male complied with her order and balanced precociously, thereafter, the female knight picked up Zelda and placed her in a baffled blonde's arms.

"Keep her safe…or else you won't escape my wrath…or Master Sora's for that matter. Anyway, this is where we part. Take care Link" she smiled, her eyes crinkling kindly "I wish to see you safe once again."

He nodded and secured the princess. With a steeled look and a word of warning to Zelda, he pushed himself and rode the spinner, jumping from one part of the wall to another. Thankfully the bearer of wisdom did not make a sound, even though they were both spinning around. After some time he jumped and delicately landed on the floor. Gingerly he set the princess down on her feet.

"The throne room" she muttered and faced him "are you ready Link?"

He didn't reply, instead his arm mechanically rose and pointed to a Darknut who was guarding the door.

"Please leave him to me." He sputtered something incomprehensible when she called her bow and went fearlessly towards the creature. Her archer's vision picked out five circular chinks in the Darknut's helmet. Sensing an intruder, he beast lumbered, making its way to Zelda. She calmly raised her bow and fired a first shot.

It ricocheted.

Link panicked, the armored creature had broken into a slow run, footsteps thundering. The princess lifted her bow again and to his astonishment she strung five arrows. His heart started to race, the monster was dangerously close, even if he wanted to, he was unable to do anything. Zelda's elegant bow twanged and all five arrows soared through the air and hit their mark, passing seamlessly through the five openings, with a guttural roar it dissipated and Link let out a heavy exhale.

They pushed their way into the throne room and the bearer of courage lead the way, Zelda resolutely followed. Coming to standstill before Zelda's intricate throne, Link glared with hate at the occupant currently sitting on the throne:

The triforce bearer of power.

Ganondorf opened his eyes and smiled cruelly. His eyes drifted over to the Hylian princess and his twisted grin stretched further. He observed how Link stood protectively in front of her, acting as her shield. The triforce bearers of power and courage shared a few insulting words, it was fascinating to see the hero whose destiny is to bring him down, harbor bloodlust and hatred akin to his own. Raising his hand, he showed the two newcomers his glowing triangle and without warning, he fired a ball of dark energy at Zelda, the energy was absorbed and his nemesis spun around and stared in shock.

Her pale skin tinted green and a few line-shaped marking were crawling across her face and exposed arms. She blinked rapidly and slowly her blue irises turned a ghostly white. Besides her the hero whipped his head back and forth between his princess and Ganondorf.

"What did you DO TO HER?" he hissed in a dangerously low tone. The dark skinned man's smile was reaching maniacal proportions, however in an instant it died out.

Zelda was beginning to return to normal.

The greenish tinge receded, her eyes were back to blue and the markings were gone. The third knight tasted confusion; it was coming from all of them.

As if the phenomenon could be explained, the silver chain placed around the princess' neck by the prince began to turn dark; it floated a few inches in the air and settled back down. It was now obsidian black.

Seeing this Ganondorf uttered a guttural growls and began changing shape. The two hylian's watched as he expanded into a creature vaguely resembling a giant boar.

"He is hideous" Link eyed Ganon

"His nostrils make for a good target" the aristocrat agreed.

…Did she just make a joke?

Grabbing Princess Zelda, the master sword wielder dove out of the way as Ganon crushed the throne and several pillars in his rampage. Creating a warp hole, it disappeared.

"This is going to be a problem" the bearer of wisdom calmly analyzed the situation "he holds great strength, speed and he can teleport so it is quite difficult to predict where he comes from…" the gears in her mind were whirring "Link, turn into a wolf and try to distract him, I'll aim for his-"

"Nostrils?" cut in the knight and a short chuckle escaped from both of them.

"No" she smiled "he has a jewel on his forehead and GO! He's coming out!"

It was a harrowing battle. The sacred beast kept on running around using in an inconsistent pattern. Fortunately the princess was an expert marksman and she hammered the beast with her arrows. The boar fell on its side and Link took the opportunity to savagely tear a hole in his chest. Ganon's stamina was formidable, even with a wound of this degree it stood up and swiped its tusks at Link. The blue gray wolf skidded to the other end and Ganon took the opportunity to charge at the sniping princess. Keeping her bow steady, she let loose two arrows and it sunk deep in the beasts eyes. With an almighty howl it thrashed around.

The hero scrambled from his position and transformed back into a human, he ran to Zelda's side and dragged her this way and that as they dodged debris. Ganon was tearing the castle apart. In its rampage, it sent both Link and the princess flying out of the castle.

They landed outside on Hyrule field, their fall broken by twin screams of pain.


	53. Chapter 49: All for one and one for all

A/N: Wow people, I got a huge number of views on my last chapter...is my Sora/Zelda pairing finally flying? Good to know though! I honestly prefer using the Sora/Goofy/Donald trio even if the other characters are stronger...with the right tweaking, even Donald will heal you. Probably. At Sylveon: Sorry, I don't have a tumblr account and I honestly don't think that your reviews are inane. You are really kind and I appreciate all the reviews I get on Blaec Iustice (I mean it's way more than what I get here). Also despite what you said, I really can't ignore this (what kind of person would I be?) If you ever decide to open an account feel free to PM me (and I'd get an extra fav and follow on my story...Crude joke, sorry) So please don't feel bad about it, your support is very motivating.

Early update people :)

Disclaimer: I own nada.

* * *

Chapter 49: All for one and one for all

Sora was the last to step out from the dark corridor. Worry was eating him alive. He concluded that it was far better to journey alone with a few friends than to drag his entire knights into battle. Roxas and Ventus were only children, yes they were key-bladers, but they were children. And Vanitas, what if his brother fainted at a crucial time? Or snapped some bone vital to keeping him alive? Were Link, Impa and their team doing alright? Was Zelda going to fare okay?

His chest squeezed painfully, maybe a pincer attack was not the best idea…

"What took you so long?" Enquired Riku who was leaning against the door of the Castle that never was.

"He was probably trying to smooch the princess before he left" sniggered his dark haired brother.

"I...I wasn't" he denied furiously.

Although the thought did cross his mind, alas, she pushed him into the corridor before anything happened.

"We need to move quickly" he announced "we are on a time constraint…Riku, is Xehanort still in his position?"

"Yes" confirmed the silver haired male "…He knows what is going on. I can assure you."

"Doesn't matter" A confident gleam sparked in Sora's eyes "we are going to take him down, at all costs."

A loud cheer went up.

* * *

Nothing's call.

Roxas remembered this place. He had fought Saix here while trying to escape and was brutally defeated and tossed into prison. The stubborn blonde escaped several times and each time he was beaten and put back. This continued for a few months till his brother broke into the castle with Mickey and the others and proceeded to defeat the nobodies and rescue him in the process. The team wandered forward on the translucent floor and on to the main area where suddenly a human nobody appeared and with him a whole bunch of lesser nobodies. He watched his eldest brother materialize Kingdom key without missing a heartbeat, however Riku snatched the blade away and commanded Zack to deal with the enemies.

Zack versus Demyx, it was obvious the fifth knight held an overwhelming advantage. Firstly because the nobody in question had a lazy, laid back personality and he hated work. Secondly, the only thing he could do was strum his sitar in a Rock star fashion and command his water based Dancer nobodies. The first knight watched with dismay as they left their spiky haired comrade behind.

"We should wait for him!" he nagged at his best friend.

The older male shut his eyes in irritation; Sora's nagging was reverberating down the hallways.

"You were the one who said we have a time constraint; do you think it is a good tactic to wait for everyone? Let them fight their own battles and survive."

He clamped up afterwards.

Lingering sounds of Zack's battle echoed in the knights' ears. He had commanded his limit break and his shouts were loud. With a heavy heart Roxas realized it would be rather impossible for him to catch up as they had boarded the Crooked Ascension, a giant elevator that did not feel like an elevator. Inside while they waited to be ferried up, a multitude of Samurai and Dragoon heartless appeared from thin air and the boy froze. Ventus, sensing his twin become rigid, gripped his hands comfortingly.

"Everything's gonna be okay, you'll see" his twin smiled and Roxas found himself mirroring his facial expression.

The enemies inside the elevator were taken care by Riku. He summoned his key-blade and fired a few Firaga's, the magic fire tailed the enemies and destroyed them in one shot. Coolly dispelling his weapon, the posse stepped off the elevator and was greeted with another nasty surprise.

Blue haired, face scarred Saix. Shouldering past everyone and dragging his younger twin with, Roxas stood in front of him and glared.

"I'll take care of him" he announced.

Sora gaped.

"No, no. Vanitas will battle him…no not him…Aqua…" the leading knight warbled "he is too strong for you two!"

"I said…I want to battle him" Roxas insisted and his twin nodded in conviction.

"But…"

"Leave them be, you are wasting their potential if you simply stand there and fret" Vanitas, sporting a conflicting expression persuaded his elder brother to leave. He cast a strained glance at the duo and was rewarded with a beaming smile from Ven. Imparting a small one of his own, he squared his shoulders and moved forward. The group disappeared from view.

"You…sure…are… confident." The blue haired nobody spoke, each syllable he uttered seemed warped and unsure. With a jolt the elder twin noted he could speak.

Xehanort was trying to perfect them into monsters once more.

Taking a deep breath the duo summoned their key-blades in tandem. As was becoming the norm, Ventus yelled and struck first with Wayward wind. It was a blessing Saix was rendered with incomprehension, the nobody failed to dodge the lightning fast attacks and his coat shredded into pieces. Ven jumped back and Roxas took his place.

However, a rapid change had occurred.

With Roxas he was much more formidable, Saix teleported around the room evading the hot headed blonde's physical and magic strikes. He hefted his claymore and threw it, both boys scattered and to Roxas' surprise, instead of embedding itself on the floor, the spiked weapon followed Ventus. With a panicked shriek, the younger noble managed to deflect it and it went soaring back to its owner. The nobody caught it.

"Roxas" Ven whispered "cover me"

Putting a shield up, the elder twin stood in front of the younger one. Concentrating hard, Ventus locked on to Saix and stuck Wayward wind out, the tip of the weapon glowed and as Roxas rolled out of the way, numerous small spheres of multi colored light burst forth. Seeing this, the scarred man teleported around the room in an effort to evade the shot-lock command, instead the spheres tailed him like homing missiles. On impact, the casualty was heavy.

It was painful.

Seething, Saix's smoldering eyes targeted the jubilant Ven. Warping over, he raised the claymore high and clubbed the noble. The poor boy flew across the room and crashed into the opposite wall making a little crater were his head struck the concrete. Roxas watched with an agape mouth as his younger brother sickeningly slid down, leaving a thick trail of blood. Dispelling his weapon, the boy ran over to his brother and stopped dead.

The wound was awful. His skull had shattered into pieces and blood flowed from behind his head. Roxas poked him, nudged him and thereafter began shaking him violently and calling his name. Ven did not respond, finally out of options the elder noble smacked him hard on the cheek.

Still he did not stir.

"Ven…Ven wake up" Roxas sobbed "WAKE UP!" his vocals bounced through the empty space.

Saix stood next to him.

"He…was…pre…cious…to you"

 _Was precious to you._

The ninth rank's face turned dark, reminiscent of the single key-blade tightly held in his grasp. He rose from his position and glared at his enemy. Sheer hatred and anger rendered him inarticulate as he screamed in an animalistic manner and charged wildly. Dark magic flew and Saix, calm and collected managed to parry his attacks. With a flick of his weapon, he sent his opponent flying, however, the blonde somersaulted in the air and touched down. He was breathing heavily.

"You…want to…avenge…your…brother" the blue haired man spoke haltingly.

"Damn right!" came a hissed response "I'll split your skull open." With another roar Roxas lunged again, this time, the nobody side-stepped and brought his spiked claymore down on Oblivion, the black key-blade cracked into pieces. Jumping back the young knight stared at his hands dumbly. Whirling around, he saw the large weapon inch closer to his head. With nothing to protect him except his bare arms, Roxas threw them up in a flimsy effort to shield himself. All of a sudden, twin flashes of light revealed two key-blades in his hands.

The pure and light Oathkeeper.

The dark and powerful Oblivion.

He felt energy surge within him again. Taking to the air, he floated and the space around him began to solidify into small white shields. They rotated around him. Targeting Saix, who stood underneath slack-jawed, he shot the light shields at him and all thirteen surrounded the nobody in a circular ring. They glowed intensely and a thick white column of light seared his form. As the intensity died, a white mist diffused in the room and Roxas came down. Saix was nowhere to be seen. Dematerializing his Oblivion, he used his light key-blade and cast healing magic on the pitiful state of his brother. Then he gingerly hoisted him on his back and began walking to catch up to the others.

* * *

The motely group held their ground against their opponents. They were traversing the Hall of empty melodies when two black coated individuals made their presence known. The savage nymph Larxene who announced her appearance with a high pitched cackle and a sarcastic comment; and Xaldin, whose lances where whipping around in a frenzied manner. Without any exchange of words, Vanitas and Aqua stepped up to their challenge.

"Vanitas…" Sora whimpered "take care of yourself and if the battle proves to be too much just call me and…"

The adolescent let out an annoyed huff.

"Your voice is grating on my ears and nerves. I'm getting sick by listening to it. Leave me alone and go kill that old man. He almost used me as a vessel."

Both Riku and Sora froze at this new piece of information.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" the bellowed together.

"…I didn't think it was important…"

"Quick Riku" the brunette broke into a run "we have to get rid of him before he decides to switch bodies"

"Yes! I've been trying to do so and you are making my work difficult."

Their squabbling tones died down as they advanced further.

"Now then" Vanitas smirked "shall we work together? As much as it shames me to admit, I can't fight even one of them on my own"

Aqua turned to him, her worry strained face morphed into a beautiful smile. With a shout, the duo summoned their key-blades and attacked. Halfway through, they switched strides and Xaldin was astonished to see the female assailing him, she let go of Rainfell and directed its attacks using the motions of her hands. The steel-blue weapon struck hard and true, every blow reinforced by magic. With Vanitas, Larxene had gotten up close and personal, her Foudre emitted thin arcs of electricity and he kept on sliding backwards to avoid thunder strikes. Warping to a far corner he cloaked his blade with darkness and charged. Aqua took note of his trajectory and lured Larxene away. Xaldin chased after her, completely forgetting Vanitas. In the ensuing chaos, the dark haze went through the third ranked nobody and Vanitas stopped to catch his breath. Against all odds Xaldin dissipated into a stream of shadows.

"One down and one more to go" rasped Void gear's wielder.

His words carried a damning effect.

The hall erupted into a storm of thunder flashes and lightning. Cartwheeling, the fourth knight dodged the lethal strikes and Vanitas simply teleported his way to safety. Due to him being unable to use his powers correctly, his teleportation became disarrayed and he smacked right into Aqua. Looking up, the two saw a torrent of lightning about to descend upon them. Abandoning all thought, the dark haired noble hugged his fellow knight and teleported around the room a few times. He was acutely aware of how she clung to him desperately and it was an uncomfortable experience for both of them.

"Hah! Lovebirds" the blonde woman guffawed. Abruptly letting go of each other, a red faced Aqua hurled a triple blizagga in Larxene's direction. She watched with satisfaction as all three smashed into the female's face.

The nobody staggered backwards. The two key-bladers activated their distinct command styles and descended on the savage nymph with a flurry of never ending attacks. She shrieked in pain and eventually broke down.

"We make a good team" Aqua commented as she deactivated her blade charge ability.

"Hell no!" Disagreed Vanitas and pulled his helmet off "You were slowing me down!"

"Link…and the others will be okay right…?"

"Hmph, he won't die even if I killed him. Apparently the goddesses are keeping him alive for some grand plan or something" the black haired noble stated "he's going to be fine, stop worrying…Or do you want me to teleport you in his arms?"

The reserved knight blushed.

"Jeez Vanitas" she complained "can't you be nice for once?" he smirked at the way her face automatically lit up.

Riku and Sora found Xehanort in the Grey Area; he had dragged an armchair to the huge window and was gazing at Kingdom Hearts floating in the distance. Brashness making him abandon caution, the first knight summoned his blade and charged, Riku tried to stop him but failed. In a split second his blow was blocked by Xehanort's key-blade.

"How did it feel" wheezed the baldy "to run princess Zelda with your own hands?"

Disorientated by his words, the brown haired male took a step back and was struck across the cheek. Regaining composure, he lifted his key-blade and fired an aeroga. The old man simply side stepped.

And the aquamarine eyed man stabbed him through the chest.

No blood oozed and Xehanort's signature laugh came from the entrance of the Grey Area. Confused, the two key-blade masters looked at the impaled body to see Zexion had taken the blow meant for his master. The used nobody disintegrated into black smoke.

"Typical" commented Riku and he switched his key-blade from Soul eater to Way to Dawn "I didn't think it was easy to take you down."

Sora had entered his Final form. His clothes had turned silver and two key-blades floated behind his back, they were controlled through telekinesis. Both he and his best friend circled around Xehanort like predators

Except in this case they were the prey.

With an angry shout, the first knight commanded the two key-blades to soar forward, the twin weapons flashed and danced in the air as they spun around and attacked Xehanort. With a malicious grin, the old Master easily countered the two blades and teleported safely away from Riku's assault. Growling, the two young males unleashed magic. Fire and Ice seared the place, the giant window cracked and shattered, letting in cold air.

The key-blades drifted back to their owner, who grasped them in two hands. His pupils shrank in focus and he blitzed towards his enemy in a fierce close quarters combat. Sparks flew and the silver haired male prowled around them, trying to find an opening where he could step in. He did not fire any magic or projectiles in case they accidentally struck Sora, the prince jumped out and Riku took his place. His blade exuded wisps of darkness as it collided with Xehanort's key-blade, despite having only one arm…he was still very powerful.

They broke apart and surveyed each other with malice. Glass splintered underfoot.

"I wonder…how Roxas and Ventus are doing…? The Dark master reveled in the pained expression on the brunette's face.

Oh how he hated that brat! Of course he was not a brat any longer but it was him and the humanoid mouse King's cronies who brought him down once.

A sly smile began to form on his face.

"What's so funny?" demanded the first knight, he gripped his weapons tighter.

"I've decided to use your body as my vessel…although it is rather uncomfortable I'll adjust. Besides I'm sure Ganondorf will fail, so it'll be interesting to use Zelda again and bring Hyrule down. I wonder if the bearer of courage and wisdom will be able to reincarnate if they faced untimely demises…what do you think? Splendid plan no? She's precious to you…no?

"Sora don't listen to hi-"

Too late.

In a desperate attempt, Riku warped their positions. Sora was confounded when he ended up back to where he started, with horror he saw Xehanort's black blade descend on Riku's head. Unable to defend, he absorbed the impact and knelt on the floor due to shock. His body swayed a bit and he fell sideways. Way to dawn de-materialized in a flash of light and Riku lay still.

His best friend.

His best friend was gone.

His best friend was gone thanks to him.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed the rage swirling inside him. With a clear gaze, he struck.

But something else happened. He found himself flying through the air being chased by a huge dark orb. The floor erupted blackish-blue columns of darkness and he got caught in one. One strike was all it took to render him inert and groaning on the floor. His drive form collapsed and his head now served as Xehanort's foot rest. With Kingdom key, he fired a firaga and the bald man retreated a safe distance.

"I like the defeated look in your eyes" the aged man quipped "your brother sported a similar visage when I almost killed him."

Sora merely stared at him with blank eyes. His body was on fire and he had no energy left. In fact he could hear a morbid chime ringing in his head.

'Red alert, red alert' it seemed to say.

A flash of light directed both men's attention to a space above Sora's head. Out of it fell two individuals. The brunette tried to roll out of the way, instead, they fell on him and he exhaled in pain.

"Gawsh, we ended up in the right spot Donald"

"Of course we did! I'm an expert navigator!"

Underneath them, Sora felt lightheaded.

All for one and one for all.


	54. Chapter 50: Built on blood

A/N: I'm still alive but it looks like exams are going to kill me. Much thanks to AFredToThePast9 and BrandonBGamer for reviewing and following my story. It motivates me to complete this fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own KH nor LOZ.

* * *

Chapter 50: Built on blood

Link rolled over and helped the princess up, thereafter they surveyed their surroundings.

"Hyrule field" Link mused "we flew quite the way out here, Princess Zelda are you unhurt?"

"I'm fine…"she murmured distractedly "is Ganondorf still in the castle?"

The Hylian hero took another glance around his surroundings and brought out a little horseshoe shaped flute. He blew into it and out of nowhere Epona galloped to her master. Seeing his horse, Link moved closer and stroked her fondly a few times before saddling her.

"Princess, I'll go check around and see if I can find Ganondorf, please stay here."

Zelda pointed to the far side of the field and the bearer of courage looked. Mounted on a dark horse, and brandishing his Warlock blade was Ganondorf. Around him were a group of phantom riders.

"Link, help me up" commanded the princess. He did so and she sat behind him on Epona, unused to carrying two people, the horse neighed and fidgeted about. To keep her balance, Zelda looped her arm around Link's waist and held on tight. The third knight froze.

Master Sora was definitely gonna kill him.

"We need to get rid of the phantom riders encircling him and throw him off his horse…Please get closer to him and keep him busy, I'll use the light arrows to paralyze him and you can deal the final blow. I only have three arrows Link, let us do our best." The aristocrat decreed with a steely look, drawing her bow, she strung an arrow and focused. With a nervous swallow and a war cry, Link leaned forward and urged Epona to surge forward, the horse did so and Ganondorf's phantom riders leapt forward to intercept them. Smoothly un-sheathing his blade in a fluid motion, the knight spun the blade around in the air and half of the white apparitions puffed out in a white smoke. Steering his steed around, the hero made a turn and rode towards the spirits again, with another cry of "hyahh" he got rid of the rest. Privately, he thought the princess was doing a splendid job of not falling off.

Locating the smirking bearer of power, the two glared and galloped forth simultaneously. Holding the reins tighter he veered off to the right just as Ganondorf tried to strike him with the sword. Time seemed to slow down as the villain's eyes widened. With a determined glare, Zelda let loose the first light arrow and he ducked. The two riders drew away from each other and the bearer of courage exhaled in a defeated manner.

"He dodged the first arrow, I'm sorry for that, even after you provided me with such a good target."

"We'll just have to keep trying" he replied and squared his shoulders. With the Master sword in one hand he charged after Ganondorf who had also rotated around to chase after him. This time, instead of running off course, the two clashed blades. After a few strikes, the horses moved back and in this moment, Link slid off the horse and another glowing arrow flew and hit the dark skinned Gerudo squarely in his chest. He paralyzed and without waiting, or getting on his horse, the green clothed knight barreled over and started stabbing his enemy in a disturbing manner. Recovering a bit too quickly for their tastes, the Gerudo chief swiped at Link who ducked in time to avoid the blow. Frantically running back to Epona, he mounted her and began riding away from a bleeding Ganondorf whose rage had reached epic proportions. The horse buckled wildly and Zelda twisted in her seat. The sneer on the bearer of power's face was ugly. Devoid of rational thought, the careered after them senselessly snarling all the way. Smoothly, she fitted another arrow and fired it. Ganondorf didn't even attempt to dodge it. Once again he spasmed and this time he fell off his horse and onto the grassy plain.

He did not move.

* * *

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora half exclaimed and groaned underneath them. Off to the corner, Xehanort's gold irises glittered in displeasure.

Those three…they needed to be killed.

"Cure!" Donald raised his staff and commanded, instantly all the pain and fatigue washed away only to be replaced by energy and a budding happiness. To remind them of their position, the old man strode to the prone form of Riku and kicked his body violently; the unconscious adolescent rolled from his initial spot and came to a standstill before them. Getting off Sora, Donald duck moved over and prodded the silver haired with his cane.

"Don't do that" the brunette lightly scolded, getting up, he carried his friends body to a safe corner. All three heroes ignored the impatient and fuming baldy to squabble amongst themselves and to make sure their comatose friend was snug.

Not like he was aware of what was happening around him.

"Thanks for curing me" Sora smiled.

"You owe me potions" the humanoid duck stated and the grin evaporated.

"You still suck" the two hmphed, crossed their arms and looked away from each other with a huff.

"Uh guys…We have someone we need to defeat" The only sane occupant in the room reminded them and hefted his shield to emphasize his point.

"…Sorry Donald"

"Right, let's get this over with." Saying this, Donald aimed his staff at Xehanort and cast a raging Firaga. With an arrogant look, he sidestepped and observed Goofy's shield glowing next to him, teleporting away, he ended up near Sora who swiped a wind cloaked key-blade at his throat. While the actual weapon did not touch him, the cutting breeze made a shallow slit in his skin.

Their team work was flawless.

It began raining thunder in the room and Xehanort countered it with his own pillars of darkness. Black and electric yellow met and burst apart in thin arcs. With his gaze on Donald who was reigning pandemonium in the lounge, the old man failed to notice the other two creeping up on him.

"Tornado"

"Judgment triad"

Two voices rang out together. Xehanort was roughly shoved from his position and he toppled sideways. Thunder struck him several times and the duck's face morphed into satisfaction. With a harrowing realization, he spied three huge golden keys closing in on him from three different angles.

He could not escape. Those blasted keys will follow him wherever he goes and the caster of that command could simply re-cast the spell should this one fail. Dispelling his key-blade, he held his head high and smiled savagely.

"I'll come back…no matter how many times you defeat me…I'll be back" Sora and his crew shivered at the man's ominous words as the three keys speared him. An intense golden light filled the room and when it died down, Xehanort was nowhere to be seen. Silence permeated the space; it did not feel like a victory. The first knight heard footsteps and his siblings and the rest of the group tumbled in, his melancholy flitted to concern as he saw Ven's limp body on Roxas' back.

"Donald, please heal them…We need to return to Hyrule at all costs. I'm worried about the rest of the knights." He sat down amidst the rubble and waited till his companion finished with his request.

* * *

He looked at the circular barrier enclosing him and Ganondorf together. Sweaty palms gripped the hilt of the Master sword and His only comforting thought was Princess Zelda and Epona were safe and sound. When the Dark king had lain on the grass, Link got off his horse and went to inspect him, before he could poke the Gerudo with his sword, a barrier had went up, forcing Zelda and his trusty animal partner to stay out of the way. The Hylian princess had also gotten off the horse and now stood next to it, her hands clasped over her chest with concern. The triforce mark on her hand glowed faintly and she prayed the hero inside would triumph over his nemesis.

"I'll slay you and the princess, I'll take over Hyrule and plunge it into darkness. I'll feed on their fear!" The fallen chief announced and laughed. Mood swinging to the other end, he pulled out his Warlock blade and with a guttural roar he swung the gleaming white blade down on Link's master sword. The hero's opinion of Impa soared to exponential heights as his arms quivered with strain. Breathing deeply and rapidly he pushed the warlock blade back inch by inch. His forehead dotted with sweat and blood rushed around in his head.

Inch by inch.

Inch by inch.

Ganondorf moved back slowly and his confident jeer crumbled into disbelief. Still Link relentlessly held his ground, one leg bent back to provide support. With small steps he forced the arrogant power holder into a corner. With an enraged bellow the dark skinned man forcibly broke contact and the hero toppled forward momentarily and lost his balance. With a victorious smirk, the Gerudo smashed down with his sword and the third knight expertly dodge rolled out of the way. He kept on rolling around and with a start, he jumped back on his feet, mouth curled into a wolfish smile. Jumping from side to side, the Master blade was artfully twirled as it carved bloody gashes onto Ganondorf's body. Link himself was also scarred, but the cuts were superficial and it merely stung.

The wound count rose on both of them and to his astonishment, he actually felt out of breath.

Him, the most powerful creature under the Hylian sun was breathless due to an insignificant Hylian, who was also half his size.

How absurd.

The holder of power let out a humorless laugh. Things won't change, they will never change.

Pawns, all of them.

He will be reincarnated once more, so will the twig glaring before him and the princess. He is still going to be a brutish power hungry fool, Link will still pull the Master sword and plunge it into him. Zelda will still be peerless in her wisdom and due to this she will be unable to truly from an emotional bond with someone.

Unrivaled in power, courage and wisdom.

The two fought with renewed vigor, trying to gain the upper hand. A severe blow made him dizzy and he struck back in return. The knight flew and smashed against the barrier. Shakily he stood up and sheathed his blade.

'He's probably gone crazy' contemplated Ganondorf 'don't blame him though'

The Dark king raised his blade and poised it at Link's heart, cape fluttering behind him, he rushed and thrust his arm out. In a split second, the Master sword was drawn and his life and the sword flashed before his eyes. He saw solemnity and sadness reflected in the Hylian's blue gaze as the weapon cut deep, slashing though flesh, blood and bone.

And he started to vanish, his body turning into black particles and carried away with the wind.

Zelda watched as the orange translucent barricade went down. She heard a few sounds behind her and glanced back to see the space tearing. Traversing out of the corridor were Aqua, Vanitas, the twins, Zack and lastly Sora. Relief flooded in her chest and she was torn in decision whether to rush over to them or stay behind for Link. Turning around, she gasped.

The bearer of courage had his hands on Ganondorf's Warlock blade.

Which was sticking out of his chest.

He spun sluggishly around to face her and his eyes wandered over to the far end where the other knights had arrived. A tiny smile tugged on his lips and his legs gave way under him.

Aqua stepped out of the dark corridor and finally breathed in fresh air. Next to her Roxas and Ventus (who had recovered thanks to Donald's magic) struck up a conversation about their fight, Vanitas joined in and the three siblings began boasting about their exploits. As the posse marched out, they all froze to the sight presented before them.

Link, with a blade in his upper body, the knight had tried to remain standing, alas he fell.

And that is when they ran.

Her body had petrified and Zack and the twins rushed past her, Ven looked back and imparted an unhappy look before continuing forward. Vanitas as well, sporting an aghast expression strode with his elder brother in a tow. Regaining mobility, she practically flashed over to the Hylian's side.

"Link…LINK!" she called desperately. This was not happening.

This was definitely not happening.

The sword was gently removed from his chest and blood spurted out of it unceasingly, not caring if her hands got stained, she covered the wound. Zack's hands pressed down on hers and the twin's small hands covered them both. She gritted her teeth.

He's going to be fine, she assured himself, tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

"We need to get him to the court physicians" the leader spoke and the words barely registered. She jolted in alarm as her hands were removed.

"What are you…?"

"We are taking him to the an infirmary" Sora declared and gingerly picked the battered body up "there is one in a bar in Castle town, let's go"


	55. Chapter 51: We are the Master Knights

A/N: And this is the last chapter dear readers. To all those who read this fanfic from beginning to end, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all enjoyed the story and every time someone followed or favorite-ed the story it gave me motivation to write further. So thank you for sticking through to the end.

On another note, I feel kinda depressed now that this story is done…Ah well, I'll just simply plan a new one Hope it sees the light of day and is read by you guys.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Kingdom hearts.

Extra note: Shameless advertising people: for any pokemon fans out there, please check out my other story entitled Blaec Iustise hopefully the story won't disappoint.

* * *

Chapter 51: We are the Master Knights

"It's been three months First knight Sora and he shows no signs of waking up, you cannot keep his position vacant for any longer. Either search for a temporary knight or we shall dismiss him altogether!" the council member announced.

Below the panel of judges and other leaders sitting on a raised, semi-circular dais, Sora seethed and his face morphed into an angry scowl. He glared at them, his brown eyes flitting angrily from person to another. Zelda shifted uneasily in her seat.

He was livid.

"Link… prepared to sacrifice himself so that you people could sit here in peace. Yes he's been in a coma for three months already but I absolutely refuse to replace him, not even a temporary knight is going to take his place. The third rank will remain vacant as long as he does not wake up and that is final" He banged his fist hard on the small wooden stand and spat his words out.

One of the members, an aged man turned to the Hylian princess.

"Princess Zelda, the leader of the Master Knights is being unreasonable; please talk some sense into hi-"

"DON'T DRAG HER INTO THIS!" he screeched from down below "The knights are MY responsibility not hers, nor yours. Leave us be" without waiting for a confirmatory dismissal, he turned his heel and marched out.

Outside waited Cloud, Zack and Vanitas all three looked up on his exit and swarmed over him.

"What did they say Sire? You were shouting pretty loudly" Zack enquired first.

"Whatever they say, my decision won't change. Link is going to wake up and once he does we'll hold a celebratory meeting and thank him for his services. And Cloud, I'd prefer it if you pinned your badge somewhere where we could see it. People keep asking me if you replaced Link."

Hearing this, the blonde reached into the pocket of his outfit and brought out a silver medal. Inscribed on it were the number eight and the word rank on it.

Eight rank. He was the eight ranked knight, Auru had resigned and without further delay, Cloud was dragged back to Hyrule. This time he had to go through an aptitude test and although he was qualified for a much higher ranking, the brunette vehemently refused to hand over the third rank. So the blonde had to content with the eighth position. Still, it was okay, at least he got to meet new people and see his best friend every day.

"How's Link?"

"Still the same" Vanitas drawled a reply to his brother's question. Aqua, Roxas, Ventus and Ashei are over there right now. We just came to hear the results of your hearing and we'll be off. Coming with us or do you have work?"

"Paper work" Sora replied. "Reconstruction of the castle is dwindling funds and we nobles are required to pay higher taxes so I have to handle all of that. Also the neighboring countries are flooding the council with papers for forging alliances so I have to run around trying to deliver replies…that reminds me, you all should put in more work."

The black haired noble snorted at his brother.

"Bet you wish you were still one of the council members don't you?" his tone droned "you could've gotten off easily"

"No…why would I want to be one of them? I'm the prince" with a self-confident smile he shouldered past them and walked down the corridor. The rest sighed and brooded.

"Three months huh?"

"Long time" Agreed Vanitas.

* * *

A month later, the third knight was still comatose. The knights visited him faithfully in a rotating schedule. Things in Hyrule were calming down and the incidence of monsters had dropped so low it was surprising if one did pop up. They were mostly low leveled creatures like the Deku babas and serpents. Under Sora's decree, the knights were divided up into groups and tasked to sweep the temples situated throughout Hyrule to get rid of lingering monsters. The castle was fully repaired and Link had been moved into a special ward reserved for him. The Hylian had been kept healthy and alive with a special blend of magic and potions which were being injected directly in his veins. Everyday Sora and the Princess would go check him out. The council members had threatened the first knight again on Link's dismissal and stress was weighing over his head. He reverently wished that the knight would at least show the smallest signs of waking up and it was briefly considered to bring mages and sorcerers from other universes to heal him. His request was violently rejected by the council.

In the knights chamber Cloud sat down on his seat. His chair was comfortable and like the seat on his G-bike, holster-esque projections decorated the back. Despite what anyone said, every time he entered the room, he'd unsheathe his Fusion sword, take it apart and slot it into its individual metallic sheaths before sitting down. Today he did the same and as usual his eyes were drawn to the vacant third seat. Green and Gold, with vines and leaves decorating the headrest. On the back, three gold triangles glittered.

Link's throne.

The hero who saved Hyrule.

His history was already being recorded in books; the princess of Hyrule oversaw to that. A few seats away from him, Zack stretched, the missing knight's presence was affecting them all too some degree. The chamber was quiet and a few moments later their leader walked in.

"Any news Master Sora?" Impa questioned.

"Other than Link's dismissal being processed…none"

A pregnant silence hung in the room.

"What…what do you mean his dismissal is being processed?" Zack and Aqua sputtered together, the female knight was miserable and it was clearly apparent to anyone who looked at her. His best friend fared no better.

"Exactly like it sounds Zack, Aqua" Sora replied and slumped into his seat.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" The fourth knight pressed.

"Yes, we can pray he wakes up before the council wipes his name off the knights list, I don't know what possessed them to mess with _my_ Knights" The commander hissed.

"Do we have any work for today?" Impa brought the discussion back on track.

"Are all the temples cleared?" his question was answered in affirmative "official papers delivered?" the knights chorused again "surrounding provinces secured?"

The room became silent.

"I guess not" the first knight murmured. "Okay, pair off and set out. A team has to go to Snowpeak to make sure the restoration of the Snow temple is going according to plan. Another to Goron mines, to clean it out, apparently the Gorons are reconstructing their mines and heading deeper into the mountains, a lot of debris has accumulated and it needs to be dealt with. There are a couple of monsters lurking in Lake Hylia's depths; the Zora's has requested our help. Finally the Gerudo tribe has to come back to their native lands since their biggest humiliation, Ganondorf has been dealt with. They are a race of females and they requested female knights to aid them. Once you have decided on your partners, leave immediately." After dishing out several orders, he exited the chamber. Heated discussions and hushed mutters broke out as the knights argued, agreed, teamed up and set off.

It was twilight when the knights scrambled to Link's special ward. Vanitas was late today; he and the twins had dived into Lake Hylia to get rid of the shadow creatures deep in the waters. Navigating through the maze of a castle, he opened the door to the third rank's room and frowned. Crossing the threshold, he discreetly moved into the room and sat on one of the many sofas decorating the room, almost all of the knights were already here as per schedule. He did not know when this became the norm, nevertheless it was a little comforting to both them and the inert hero lying in the bed.

At least he hoped so.

The room glowed an orange gold as the sun's dying rays filtered through the window and painted everything. He kept his face down in an effort to escape a certain blonde's attention, alas, it was all for naught.

"Mister Vanitas" she chirped, holding a glass jar full of fireflies "how nice to see you again!"

"What are you doing here?" he groaned.

"I came to pay my respects to the hero who saved Hyrule" she answered, her amethyst eyes shimmering.

"Link is not dead" he replied with an edge to his voice and several knights looked up. Nodding, Agitha tiptoed back to her place beside Link's bed. Aqua was forlornly arranging the flowers inside the vase near his head and his twin brothers sat on a couch set against the wall and were fast asleep.

They must be really tired since their mission was tough.

* * *

The first thing he sees when he blearily opens his eyes are floating orbs of light. He watched them, like a child as the little orbs originated from somewhere to his left and scattered throughout the room. The entire place was bathed in a color akin to lava and the little orbs fascinated him, it flew here and there scattering in the room, some of them floated through open windows and they never come back.

Aqua was the first one to notice. Her hands froze as she blinked rapidly.

Her eyes were not playing tricks. The comatose knight's eyes were open, if only slightly, and his gaze was fixated on the fireflies set free by Agitha, the young noble had opened the jar and one by one the shining insects had flown out and dispersed through the area, the sight was magical to say at least. Most of the knights were also staring with agape mouths or dazzled eyes at the scene taking place in the room.

"Li…nk?" she hesitantly moved closer and called his name. It seemed forever before he rotated his head towards her and registered her presence.

"Hey…Aqua" his voice was barely above a mumble but the whole ward exploded.

"He's awake" screamed Zack, the twins and Ashei simultaneously. With a loud cheer they all swarmed over to him, the fifth knight putting his face as close as possible to his Hylian best friend.

"Hi Zack…everyone…where am I? And why do I feel so weak?" the questions came out feebly and the blue haired knight merely listened as everyone else answered his queries. The mood had lifted considerably and his rasping voice permeated through the ward. The twins and Vanitas had commanded a place on Link's bed and the rest were forced to stand around or sit on the floor and crane their necks.

Half an hour later Sora entered and stopped dead in his tracks. The Master Knights had all centered around Link's bed and were speaking, their words were disorderly, tumbling and washing over each other's. The worst possible scenario flashed through his head:

He's dead. He passed away and is never coming back.

Slightly uncomfortable with everyone talking and bearing over him, Link inhaled deeper, his ears had picked out the sound of a door opening and closing and he was sure there was another person inside the room, for some reason, the person stopped and did not approach any closer.

"Master Sora…" he tried to say but his words were drowned by his friends' excited chatter, swallowing he spoke louder than them.

"Master Sora" and the knights parted and turned to see the first knight frozen on his spot. He mechanically walked forward and the papers in his hands fell to the floor.

"Link…LINK! You are okay!" Flying over, he stood over the third knight and pulled his cheeks, sticking his thumbs in Link's mouth to confirm that he indeed was real. The rest watched with disturbed expressions.

"He's alive…stop doing that" Vanitas huffed.

"Goddesses…I'm so glad…so glad" the prince echoed everyone's sentiments. Looking up and imparting a wide smile he said:

"Welcome back to the Master Knights Link"

* * *

"This is…" Zelda trailed off and stared at the object in Sora's hands.

"A paopu fruit, remember I said I'd pick you one?" he stated.

"Yes, I understand, but why…is it half eaten?"

"I ate the other half" he informed her cheerfully

She looked up to him and took note of the huge, goofy and somewhat shy smile adorning his face.

"Of all the strange things you ever did, this is probably the strangest" she commented and picked the fruit off him, then she began to eat it and he observed her with a blissful expression on his face.

"Why are we spying on them Vanitas?" Ventus, easily the most innocent of his siblings asked, both he and his elder twin's eyes were glued to the pair standing in the lounge. Sora had brought the princess in their mansion to give her a break from all the work she was required to do. She spent most of the days either in the library, where she pored over books on different worlds or in the lounge, staring at their family portraits.

"We aren't spying" smirked Vanitas as a slow grin stretched on his lips "I'm fishing for some blackmail material" the three of them leaned further into the door when they saw their brother lower his head.

"…What are you doing?" her cheeks flushed pink as he moved closer.

"Hmm…nothing. I was hoping my brothers would leave"

A small laugh escaped Zelda as she shuffled backwards.

"You still did not tell my why you gave me a half-eaten fruit" she spoke.

"Yeah…why did he do that?" puzzled Roxas and the other two siblings told him to hush it.

"If…if two people share a paopu fruit their destinies become intertwined" his voice dropped into a whisper and the three nosy siblings leaned even further in, trying to catch his words. Roxas, who was sandwiched in the middle, was unappreciative of the way Ventus was trying to clamber over him. "I want us to…umm yeah, you get the picture." Slightly embarrassed, he spun around abruptly and his three younger brothers, unable to hide their misdeeds fell over each other.

"Smooth" Vanitas taunted from his position on the floor. Roxas and Ven sat on his back with sheepish smiles. Picking themselves up, they dusted off their clothes and left. The second eldest noble shut the door with a loud bang and Sora's shoulders drooped.

How mortifying.

He was aware of the princess' small, dainty and glove free hand grasping his own.

"You were saying?" she prompted, her eyes boring into his.

"I want things to stay like this" he relented and held on to her tightly "let's go to Destiny Islands for a while and forget about work. Just the two of us."

Her beaming smile was the only answer he needed.


End file.
